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
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An adult looking inside the nest cavity. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 3 years ago 45 sec 4.8 -
An adult bringing food to the nest. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 9 June 2009 3 years ago 28 sec 4.6 -
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 3 years ago 27 sec 4.3 -
An adult perched and singing Locality Aksu-Zhabagly State Nature Reserve, South Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan (ssp flavipectus)
Greg Baker 6 May 2008 1 year ago 25 sec 4 -
A bird feeding on pine flower Locality Ile Alatau National Park, Tian Shan, Almaty Province, Kazakhstan (ssp tianschanicus)
Eric Roualet 25 May 2012 49 weeks ago 19 sec 3.6 -
A pair bringing food to the nest. Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia (ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 3 years ago 37 sec 3.5
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An adult bird sitting on a twig
Locality Belarus (ssp cyanus)
Krzysztof Blachowiak 28 April 2010 3 years ago 4.7 -
Near the Prypiat River
Locality Belarus
Krzysztof Blachowiak 28 April 2010 3 years ago 4.5 -
A juvenile bird perched in a tree.
Locality Tamga, Issyk-Kul Province, Kyrgyzstan (ssp tianschanicus)
Hanne and Jens Eriksen 40 weeks ago 4.5 -
Bird on a branch
Locality Altai Republic, Eastern Russia, Russia
Sergey Pisarevsky 11 May 2012 36 weeks ago 4.3 -
Male of Azure tit (Parus cyanus) with feed for chicks near the nest - photo by Altay Zhatkanbayev
Locality Ili River Delta, Almaty Province, Kazakhstan
Altay Zhatkanbayev 20 June 2007 28 weeks ago 4.2 -
Four birds in the hand
Locality Belarus (ssp cyanus)
Laurent Demongin 1 October 2003 4 years ago 4
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A bird calling near the nest.
Locality Gaivoron, Khanka Lake, Primorsky Krai, Eastern Russia, Russia
(ssp yenisseensis)
Josep del Hoyo 8 June 2009 3 years ago 4
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