Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant

About the Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant

The pied-crested tit-tyrant (Anairetes reguloides) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Chile and Peru. The members of genus Anairetes are known commonly as tit-tyrants because their active foraging behavior and crests are reminiscent of the true tits in the family Paridae. The genus had formerly been named Spizitornis.

The pied-crested tit-tyrant has two subspecies, the nominate A. r. reguloides (D'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) and A. r. albiventris (Chapman, 1924). Some twentieth century authors treated it and the black-crested tit-tyrant (A. nigrocristatus) as conspecific but by about 1990 this had been discarded. The two are sister species and form a superspecies.

The pied-crested tit-tyrant is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long; five females weighed an average of 6.7 g (0.24 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a dramatic split black crest formed by elongated feathers on the sides of the crown. The rest of their crown and their nape are white and the rest of their head is black. Their upperparts are black with thin white streaks. Their wings are black with... Wikipedia →