Yellow-browed Tit

About the Yellow-browed Tit

The yellow-browed tit (Sylviparus modestus) is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Sylviparus. It is a small song bird that measures 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) long and weighs 5–9 g (0.18–0.32 oz). It is the smallest member of its family. It has a small bill, short tail, strong legs, and greenish feathers.

It is found in the southern Himalayas, Northeast India and southern China with smaller amounts in Southeast Asia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

The yellow-browed tit was described by Edward Burton in 1836. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Sylviparus, which is fairly distinct from other tits, second-basal in the family Paridae after Cephalopyrus. Three subspecies are recognised:

S. m. simlaensis – (Baker, 1917): NW Himalayas from Kashmir E to NC India (Kumaon) S. m. modestus – (Burton, 1836): C and E Himalayas, NE India (hills of S Assam to Nagaland and Manipur), N, W and SE Myanmar, SC and SE China (SE Tibet, Yunnan, E Sichuan and Guizhou; also NW Fujian and SW Zhejiang), NW Thailand, N and SE Laos and N and SC Vietnam (W Tonkin,... Wikipedia →