Tits and Chickadees (Paridae)
Azure Tit (Cyanistes cyanus) - HBW 12, p. 748
French: Mésange azurée
German: Lasurmeise
Spanish: Herrerillo Azul
Other common names: Yellow-breasted (Azure) Tit, Turkestan Tit (carruthersi, flavipectus and berezowskii); Pleske’s Tit (hybrid form “pleskii”)
Taxonomy: Parus cyanus Pallas, 1770, River Volga, Russia.
Until recently present genus normally subsumed into a broad Parus, and many authors still prefer that treatment. Forms a superspecies with C. caeruleus and C. teneriffae. Hybridizes with former, mainly following years when it expands W in periodic irruptions (hybrids described as a separate taxon, pleskii). SC Asian races carruthersi, flavipectus and berezowskii frequently considered to represent a separate species, but flavipectus hybridizes with race tianschanicus where ranges meet in S Kyrgyzstan; hybridization, however, appear.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Parus cyanus Pallas, 1770, River Volga, Russia.
Until recently present genus normally subsumed into a broad Parus, and many authors still prefer that treatment. Forms a superspecies with C. caeruleus and C. teneriffae. Hybridizes with former, mainly following years when it expands W in periodic irruptions (hybrids described as a separate taxon, pleskii). SC Asian races carruthersi, flavipectus and berezowskii frequently considered to represent a separate species, but flavipectus hybridizes with race tianschanicus where ranges meet in S Kyrgyzstan; hybridization, however, appears to be limited; further study required. In addition, geographical variation slight and mostly clinal; in particular, race yenisseensis intergrades both with tianschanicus and with hyperrhiphaeus. Eight subspecies recognized.
Until recently present genus normally subsumed into a broad Parus, and many authors still prefer that treatment. Forms a superspecies with C. caeruleus and C. teneriffae. Hybridizes with former, mainly following years when it expands W in periodic irruptions (hybrids described as a separate taxon, pleskii). SC Asian races carruthersi, flavipectus and berezowskii frequently considered to represent a separate species, but flavipectus hybridizes with race tianschanicus where ranges meet in S Kyrgyzstan; hybridization, however, appears to be limited; further study required. In addition, geographical variation slight and mostly clinal; in particular, race yenisseensis intergrades both with tianschanicus and with hyperrhiphaeus. Eight subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- cyanus (Pallas, 1770) - Belarus and W & C European Russia E to C Urals.
- hyperrhiphaeus Dementiev & Heptner, 1932 - SW Urals, SW Siberia and N Kazakhstan.
- yenisseensis (Buturlin, 1911) - SC Siberia, Altai Mts and N Mongolia E to NE China (Nei Mongol, Manchuria) and Russian Far East.
- cyanus (Pallas, 1770) - Belarus and W & C European Russia E to C Urals.
- hyperrhiphaeus Dementiev & Heptner, 1932 - SW Urals, SW Siberia and N Kazakhstan.
- yenisseensis (Buturlin, 1911) - SC Siberia, Altai Mts and N Mongolia E to NE China (Nei Mongol, Manchuria) and Russian Far East.
- tianschanicus Menzbier, 1884 - mountains of SE Kazakhstan and adjacent Kyrgyzstan (C & E Tien Shan) E to NW China (N & W Xinjiang).
- koktalensis Portenko, 1954 - lowlands of SE Kazakhstan.
- carruthersi (E. J. O. Hartert, 1917) - Kyrgyzstan and N Tajikistan (Alai Mts and W Pamirs).
- flavipectus (Severtsov, 1873) - S Kyrgyzstan (E Alai Range and W Tien Shan) S to N Afghanistan.
- berezowskii Pleske, 1893 - NE Qinghai, in NC China.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
-
An adult looking inside the nest cavity. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 1 year ago 45 sec 4.7 -
An adult bringing food to the nest. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 9 June 2009 2 years ago 28 sec 4.5 -
An adult going in and out the nest several times. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 1 year ago 27 sec 4 -
A pair bringing food to the nest. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 1 year ago 37 sec 3.5 -
A bird attending a feeder. Locality Oulu, Oulu Province, Finland (ssp cyanus)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2010 1 year ago 20 sec 3.3 -
Several birds moving on branches. Locality Chestnut Lodge private collection, Surrey, England, Great Britain
Josep del Hoyo 25 May 2009 1 year ago 32 sec 3
-
An adult bird sitting on a twig
Locality Belarus
kblach 28 April 2010 1 year ago 4.7 -
Near the Prypiat River
Locality Belarus
kblach 28 April 2010 1 year ago 4.5 -
One bird foraging
Locality Ala Archa National Park, Chuy Province, Kyrgyzstan (ssp flavipectus)
Rémi Bigonneau 8 August 2011 12 weeks ago 3.7 -
One bird
Locality Bishkek City, Kyrgyzstan
Rémi Bigonneau 25 June 2011 12 weeks ago 3.7 -
A fledgling
Locality Issyk Kul, Issyk-Kul Province, Kyrgyzstan (ssp flavipectus)
Rémi Bigonneau 30 July 2011 12 weeks ago 3.5 -
A bird with food in the bill.
Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 1 year ago 3.5
-
A bird calling near the nest.
Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia
(ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 1 year ago 4
Email this page