Grey Crested Tit

Grey crested tit
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Passerimorphae
Order	Passeriformes
Sub-order	Passeri
Infraorder	Passerida
Family Information
Superfamily	Passeroidea
Family	Paridae
Genus Information
Genus	Lophophanes
Species Information
Species	L. dichrous
Synonyms	Parus dichrous
Population statistics
Population	Unknown[1]
Conservation status	Least concern[2]

The grey crested tit (Lophophanes dichrous) is a small species of passerine bird of the family Paridae, and found over much of central China and the south Himalayas region.

Description[edit]

The grey crested tit is relatively small, about 4.3 inches long. The crest is distinctive, rather long for its size, and often held straight up. Upperparts are dull gray in color, with birds from western China appearing more brownish. A white stripe under the base of the beak forms a separate, ring-shaped pattern with a white stripe on the neck. The throat is brownish-yellow with a gray tint, with the rest of the underside a light cinnamon-color.

Subspecies[edit]

• Lophophanes dichrous dichroides; northeastern Tibet to southwestern China (northern Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Shaanxi)
• Lophophanes dichrous dichrous; central and eastern Himalayas
• Lophophanes dichrous kangrae; Kashmir region of Pakistan and northern India, to Uttar Pradesh
• Lophophanes dichrous wellsi; northeastern Burma and southern China (western Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan)

Range and habitat[edit]

The species is found primarily in central China east of the Tibetan plateau to roughly Xi'an and Chengdu, southward to northern Burma; they are also found within a thin band extending westward through Bhutan, Nepal, and northern India, following the southern slope of the Himalaya mountain range.

It is a mountain species that is particularly common at altitudes between about 7,200 and 12,100 feet, and found in a variety of deciduous and coniferous forests, from montane to temperate; in western China they are preferably found in coniferous forests. It is essentially a resident bird, but they will undertake a vertical migration, i.e. it will migrate from higher mountain heights down into warmer valleys in winter^[3]. Even in winter, however, many of these birds can be found at altitudes over 12,000 feet, resulting in some research as to how it was possible^[4].

Feeding[edit]

Diet consists of aphids, small butterflies and beetles, as well as their larvae, looking for food almost exclusively on branches and in tree tops, especially in winter but also in low bushes or on the ground. Although not observed in this particular species, it has been observed that close relatives have the ability to store food after gathering, and it is possible the grey crested tit does the same^[5].

Reproduction[edit]

The species lives in pairs in breeding grounds, occasionally in small flocks, which are sometimes mixed with other songbird species. The breeding season in the West Himalayas is April to June. It breeds in tree cavities, which they occasionally hollow out, even in rotten tree trunks. The four to five eggs are colored white with dense red spots

References[edit]