Yellow-browed Tit
Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus
Etymology:
- Sylviparus :Genus Sylvia – warbler ; genus Parus-Tit.
- Modestus : Latin word for plain
Distribution in India: Resident of Himalayas and North East India.
Description: Size of 9–10 cm; wt. of 5–9 g. It’s a small tit, with small bill, short tail and thick legs, and distinctive greenish plumage and quick actions. The nominate race has crown and upperparts olive-green, slightly greyer on forehead, brighter and yellowish on rump and uppertail-coverts. The upperwing-coverts and tail are more grey-brown, broadly fringed olive-green, tail tinged yellowish at base, tips of greater coverts are paler forming indistinct wingbar, the alula is fringed bright olive-green; flight-feathers browner and fringed olive-green. The face is olive-green, often flecked paler yellow, fairly short and poorly defined yellowish supercilium, narrow yellowish eyering; the throat and underparts are mostly dull olive-yellow, paler on belly and vent, washed buffish on flanks. In worn plumage generally duller, and supercilium is shorter, wings also browner, and tips of greater coverts are paler. The iris is dark brown; bill is dark horn to bluish with greyish cutting edges; legs bluish-grey. Both the sexes are alike. The juvenile is very similar to adult. The nominate races is found in Central & East Himalayas, NE India hills of South Assam to Nagaland and Manipur : race simlaensis (North West Himalayas from Kashmir to North India in Kumaon region) is as nominate, but upperparts are brighter or yellowish-olive, fringes of flight-feathers and tail are brighter yellowish-green, underparts also brighter yellow.
Habitat: It is found in temperate montane and submontane forests, mostly oak, rhododendron and mixed forests, at higher level in moss forest with epiphytes and scrub along tree-line, willow thickets and apricot orchards. It breeds from1500m to 3600 m.In non-breeding season found in deciduous and evergreen forests with rhododendron, bushes on hillsides and large gardens, often at lower elevations from 900m to 3400 m.
Food habits: It eats small invertebrates and larvae, also some seeds. It issolitary , in pairs or small groups in breeding season and ; in autumn and winter more often in mixed-species foraging flocks with other Tits, various babblers, Eurasian Treecreeper, Goldcrest and leaf-warblers. It forages mostly in middle and upper levels of forest trees and upper levels of taller bushes. It is restless, flits about through foliage; agile movements and behavior with nervous wing-flicking. Also clings acrobatically to twigs and leaves.
Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–May. The nest is a pad of moss, with animal hair or fur, placed up from ground in natural tree hole or cavity with very narrow entrance. They lay a clutch 4–6 eggs. The chicks are fed by both parents, adults may become bold in defense of young.