Sultan Tit
Melanochlora sultanea
The Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea) is a rare tits, chickadees, and titmice found in 11 countries, weighing about 38 g. The sultan tit is an Asian forest bird with black upperparts plumage and yellow underparts, dark bill, and a yellow or black crest.
About the Sultan Tit
The sultan tit is an Asian forest bird with black upperparts plumage and yellow underparts, dark bill, and a yellow or black crest. The sexes are similar, though the female has slightly duller plumage with greenish-black upperparts and throat. The young bird is duller than the adult and has a shorter crest. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanochlora, which is fairly distinct from other tits, third-basal in the family Paridae after Cephalopyrus and Sylviparus.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The male has the forehead and crown with the crest brilliant yellow (except glossy black in one subspecies); the whole upper plumage, sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and breast-deep black glossed with green, the edges of the feathers of the upper plumage with a metallic lustre, and the outermost tail-feathers tipped with white; lower plumage from the breast downwards deep yellow, the thighs barred or mottled with white. The recumbent crest is raised when the bird is alert or alarmed.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Cambodia.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Sultan Tit?
- The male has the forehead and crown with the crest brilliant yellow (except glossy black in one subspecies); the whole upper plumage, sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and breast-deep black glossed with green, the edges of the feathers of the upper plumage with a metallic lustre, and the outermost tail-feathers tipped with white; lower plumage from the breast downwards deep yellow, the thighs barred or mottled with white. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Sultan Tit?
- The Sultan Tit is a small sized bird weighing about 38 g.
- Where can you see a Sultan Tit?
- The Sultan Tit occurs in 11 countries, including India, Thailand, Malaysia, Bhutan and Vietnam.
- What birds look similar to a Sultan Tit?
- The Sultan Tit is most easily confused with the African Blue Tit, the Yellow-browed Tit and the Yellow-bellied Tit.
- Is the Sultan Tit endangered?
- The Sultan Tit is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Sultan Tit for real
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