Ground Tit
Pseudopodoces humilis
The Ground Tit (Pseudopodoces humilis) is a rare tits, chickadees, and titmice found in 3 countries, weighing about 45 g. The ground tit, Tibetan ground tit, or Hume's ground tit is a bird of the Tibetan plateau north of the Himalayas.
About the Ground Tit
The ground tit, Tibetan ground tit, or Hume's ground tit is a bird of the Tibetan plateau north of the Himalayas. The peculiar appearance confused ornithologists who in the past variously called it Hume's groundpecker, Hume's ground jay or Tibetan ground jay on the assumption it belonged to the family Corvidae that includes the crows and jays. Although morphologically confusing, the species has since been identified using molecular sequence comparisons as being a member of the tit family (Paridae), and is now treated as the only species in the genus Pseudopodoces. It is found in the Tibetan Plateau of China, India, Nepal & Bhutan.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Pseudopodoces is somewhat similar in appearance to the unrelated ground jays (Podoces), but much smaller, about the size of a house sparrow (Passer domesticus), and lacks any conspicuous markings. More distinctly however, it resembles a wheatear (Oenanthe) in habitus, but lacks black feathers, and has a strong and slightly downcurved bill resembling that of a chough (Pyrrhocorax) in shape (though not in colour). Its soft, lax body plumage is extremely cryptic in its natural habitat. The underside is a greyish-fawn in colour, with a tawny hue.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in July. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Ground Tit?
- Pseudopodoces is somewhat similar in appearance to the unrelated ground jays (Podoces), but much smaller, about the size of a house sparrow (Passer domesticus), and lacks any conspicuous markings. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Ground Tit?
- The Ground Tit is a small sized bird weighing about 45 g.
- Where can you see a Ground Tit?
- The Ground Tit occurs in 3 countries, including China, India and Nepal.
- What birds look similar to a Ground Tit?
- The Ground Tit is most easily confused with the Rufous-naped Tit, the Fire-capped Tit and the Azure Tit.
- Is the Ground Tit endangered?
- The Ground Tit is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Ground Tit for real
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