Great Tit
Great Tit Parus major
Etymology:
- Parus : Latin word for Tit
- Major : Latin word for greater
Vernacular Names:Hindi: Slateyramgangara, Sans: Bhasmvalguli, Kash: Ranga tsar, Dantiwu, Pun: Saleti tit, Ben: Ram-ganga, Ass: Bhuddercoolee, Tibetan: Chi-kiaga, Guj: Rakhodiramachakali, Mar: Rakhi/ Kavadiramgangara, Rakhibalguli, Ta: Puttanikuruvi, Sittu-kuruvi, Mal: Marappottan
Distribution in India: Resident of Himalayas in India
Description: Size of 12·5–14 cm; wt. of11·9–22·1g. It is a large, black-headed tit with large white face patch, and pale or yellow underparts divided by black ventral line. The male of nominate race has bluish-black forehead to crown (to below eye) and nape is glossy, a dull whitish patch on center of lower nape becoming greenish-yellow on lowermost hindneck and upper mantle.The rest of mantle, scapulars and upper back are green. The scapulars are tinged olive, lower back to uppertail-coverts are light bluish-grey, tinged green on rump, longest uppertail-coverts and tail are bluish-grey with blackish inner webs, the outer three rectrices are tipped white, lesser and median upperwing-coverts are greyish-blue, greaters with blackish on inner webs and fringed finely greenish on outers and broadly tipped white, alula and primary coverts are black, finely fringed white. The flight-feathers areblackish-grey, tertials broadly fringed pale with greenish-yellow ,secondaries and inner primaries finely fringed pale greyish-blue. The cheek and ear-coverts are white, chin, throat and neck side to center of upper breast areblack. There are fairly broad but irregular black line from lower bib to vent; sides of breast and belly are bright lemon-yellow, flanks are washed grey-green, undertail-coverts are white with tips of longest blackish; axillaries and underwing-coverts are whitish. In worn plumage, the crown and nape are duller, less glossy, upperparts are duller green, ventral line slightly broader, rest of underparts are paler yellow, or greyer on flanks. The iris is dark reddish-brown to blackish-brown; bill is black, paler cutting edges; legs are slate-grey to blue-grey. The female is like male, but slightly duller black on crown, upperparts duller or darker green, fringes of greater coverts and secondaries are greenish-grey, black on side of neck narrower or broken, bib duller black, ventral line narrower and less intensely black, undertail-coverts more extensively white.
Race caschmirensis( NW Himalayas ) has upperparts as bluish-grey, tail is blackish-grey and broadly fringed bluish-grey, outer rectrix are entirely white and adjacent one white except on edge of inner web, tertials are broadly fringed pale grey, flight-feathers are narrowly edged same, underparts are off-white or tinged buffish, slightly whiter on breast side and border of ventral line ; race planorum( North India )is also like caschmirensis, but upperparts are slightly darker grey, tinged bluish, less white in tail , tips of greater coverts narrower and whiter, fringes of tertials whiter, underparts are whiter; race vaurie(North East Assam)has flanks slightly greyer, white in outer tail restricted to distal half of outermost rectrix; race stupae (West, Central and South East India) is similar to caschmirensis, but slightly darker bluish-grey above, greater covertsare narrowly fringed bluish-grey, tertials whiter, outer tail feather white and adjacent one extensively so, underparts paler or tinged pale pinkish-buff except for pale grey flanks; race mahrattarum ( South west India)has upperparts slightly darker or more heavily bluish-grey, less white in tail , the outermost feather all white, but next one only half white, underparts are duller smoky grey
Habitat: It is found in open deciduous and mixed forests and edges and clearings in dense forest. It is found from lowlands to 1800 m
Food habits: It eats in summer mostly small invertebrates and larvae. Invertebrates include cockroaches, grasshoppers and crickets, damselflies and small dragonflies,lacewings, earwigs, bugs, aphids, ants, millipedes, mites, moths, flies, caddis flies, scorpion flies, bees and wasps, beetles, spiders, harvestmen, snails and woodlice (Isopoda). In other seasons It eats seeds and fruit, spilled grain,peanuts and sunflower seeds from birdtables, nectar and sap. Nestlings fed mostly larvae. Itdoes not store food, but may steal from caches of tits that do and is highly intelligent and quick to learn, especially from partner or from others in flock, where to find hidden food. The seeds, particularly hard-shelled ones and nuts, often collected and taken to branch, where held firmly by foot and rapidly hammered with the bill until a hole is made through which the kernel can be extracted; some, particularly larger seeds, may be wedged in bark before being opened. It is found singly or in pairs, also in groups, and as part of a mixed-species foraging flocks. It forages at all levels in trees, but usually avoids tallest canopy; most often in lower levels of trees, where it gleans among foliage, branches and trunks, also in shrubs and tall undergrowth. It forages on ground also, especially male in non-breeding season, where collects fallen seeds, berries and invertebrates.. One of the few bird species known to use a tool in obtaining food items; like holding a conifer needle in the bill and using it as a means of extracting larvae from hole in tree.
Breeding habits: They breed in Jan to Sept in Israel and breeds throughout year in Java. They are monogamous; pair-bond lasts for duration of breeding season. Displaying male keeps slightly higher than female, perches horizontally or hops with wings slightly raised and opened, tail raised and partly spread, occasionally raises and lowers tail and shivers wings while giving warbling trill, both birds then flying with shallow wingbeats or gliding to area of hole and inspecting potential nest-site.The male courtship-feeds female, which crouches on branch and shivers wings. The begging by female increases at start of egg-laying, during start of incubation and just before young leave nest. The nest is built by female. The nest ismade up of plant fibers, grasses, moss, animal hair, wool and feathers, placed in hole or cavity in tree, occasionally in wall, rock face or building, in rodent burrow, and hole in bank or ground. They lay aclutch of 5–12 eggs. The incubationis done by female, fed on nest by male. Theincubation period is12–15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents. The nestling period is 16–22 days. The young become independent 8 days after fledging, but often fed by parents forup to 25 days more.