Fun Elegant Tit Facts For Kids

If you are interested in birds that are endemic to the islands of the Philippines, you must read about the elegant tit. Belonging to the family Paridae, this small bird has three different scientific names reflecting the confusion regarding which genus to place them in.

Parus elegans was thought to be the old scientific name for this bird, while Pardaliparus elegans and Periparus elegans are some of the more commonly accepted names now.

There are around nine subspecies of the Pardaliparus elegans or Parus elegans spread across different parts of the Philippines. These nine subspecies are Pardaliparus elegans elegans, Pardaliparus elegans bongaoensis, Pardaliparus elegans edithae, Pardaliparus elegans suluensis, Pardaliparus elegans montigenus, Pardaliparus elegans mindanensis, Pardaliparus elegans visayanus, Pardaliparus elegans gilliardi, and Pardaliparus elegans albescens.

Continue reading you want to learn more about these birds. For more relatable content, check out these green-backed tit facts and Japanese tit facts for kids.

Elegant Tit Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an elegant tit?

The elegant tit (Periparus elegans/ Parus elegans/ Pardaliparus elegans) are species of birds that are found in the Asian country of the Philippines. While this tit family of birds is quite common throughout the various islands, they have been poorly studied over the years leading to a lack of information on them.

What class of animal does an elegant tit belong to?

One of the more common birds of the tit family present in the Philippines, the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) belongs to the class of birds or Aves. There has been a lot of confusion and speculation around the world regarding its genus.

Th elegant tit belongs to the Passeriformes order and family Paridae which covers all the species in the tit family.

Genus-wise, the genus Parus is the widely accepted genus at present. However, there have been some in the scientific community who refer to them by their new genus Pardaliparus and some even by the other tit genus known as the Periparus.

As a result, the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) has two other scientific names, Pardaliparus elegans and Parus elegans.

How many elegant tits are there in the world?

The total population of the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) bird species is not known. Yet, this should be of no major concern as the distribution of this species is quite widespread in their native country, the Philippines.

Where does an elegant tit live?

The elegant tit (Periparus elegans) bird is usually found in dense and moist evergreen forests of the Philippines. Belonging to the Parulidae family (genus Pardaliparus), the distribution of this endemic bird species is spread across the different cities and areas of the country except for the island of Palawan.

Areas like Manilla, Luzon, Guimaras, Negros, Mindanao, Mindoro, Samar, and Ticao are some of the places where a large number of the elegant tit bird species is seen.

What is an elegant tit's habitat?

Mostly occurring in lowlands, the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) is usually found in a habitat of evergreen forest. These are mainly pine and moss forests and similar to the habitat of other bird species in the Paridae family of tits.

These birds are also observed in montane forests in the Philippines up to an elevation of 8,136.5 ft (2,480 m). Well-known researchers like Andrew Gosler and Peter Clement have studied and written more about this bird species.

Who do elegant tits live with?

Unfortunately, information regarding whether the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) lives in flocks or leads a solitary lifestyle is not known. Yet, one can assume from other birds in the tit family like the great tit that these birds live in pairs, especially during the breeding season.

Some reports say that this species can sometimes live in groups with up to eight individuals.

How long does an elegant tit live?

Again, not much is known in regards to how long this Paridae family bird lives. We can only assume that like most other tit bird species such as the long-tailed tit, the elegant tit or the Parus elegans has a lifespan that lasts anywhere between two to three years.

How do they reproduce?

While these birds are common in their native habitat, they have been poorly studied and only a few things are known about their breeding and reproduction. Most experts agree that the breeding season of the elegant tit starts in the month of January and continues until June.

The gestation period for this species has been noted to vary according to region. Some places like Luzon have observed juvenile birds from March to November and areas like Mindanao have seen them in the months between April and October.

There is also some information on the nests used by this bird. Elegant tits nest in hollows or holes in trees and these nests are usually made up of moss and twigs.

What is their conservation status?

Even though the exact population of this bird species is not known, elegant tits have shown no sign of decline in their population. They are found in abundance all over the Philippines. As a result, they have been classified as Least Concern by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature or the IUCN in their Red List.

Elegant Tit Fun Facts

What do elegant tits look like?

The small-sized elegant tit is covered in black and yellow plumage with traces of white . The crown of both the male and female birds are black in coloration while the underparts are yellow.

The wings of the bird are blackish-gray with white patterns and a white tip. The subspecies of this bird can easily be differentiated based on certain physical features like the length of the beak and spots on the back and the wings.

How cute are they?

While the description of this bird species might not come across as remarkable, the contrasting black and yellow along with their small size make these birds adorable to look at.

How do they communicate?

This bird has a host of different sounds that can be heard on different occasions. A warbling song with trills that closely resemble a canary can be heard from this species.

The sweet tonal quality of the bird is quite pleasant to listen to. Apart from songs, there are calls like a short 'sit-sit', a light and long 'siiilililili', and 'twi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi' which is a series of soft whistles. Elegant tits (Pardaliparus elegans) also have a few short nasal calls.

How big is an elegant tit?

In terms of size, the elegant tit is quite small and the height of the bird varies from 4.5-4.7 in (11.5-12 cm). In comparison, the palm warbler bird is slightly bigger than them.

How fast can an elegant tit fly?

A lack of research into this species has left us without knowing how fast the elegant tit (Periparus elegans) can fly. Being small, we can presume that this species can fly fast over short distances.

How much does an elegant tit weigh?

The weight of the elegant tit is in the range of 0.4-0.5 oz (12-15 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Elegant tits have no distinguished names for a male and a female of this species. They are simply called male and female elegant tits.

What would you call a baby elegant tit?

A baby elegant tit is called a hatchling or a fledgling. Young birds are usually referred to as juveniles.

What do they eat?

The diet of the elegant tit is thought to be omnivorous. They are known to feed on both small invertebrates and larvae. They also consume a healthy amount of fruit and seeds.

Are they dangerous?

No, of course not. These small and adorable birds are not dangerous at all.

Would they make a good pet?

While an elegant tit is popular for its sweet voice, there have not been a lot of cases reported where this species have been domesticated.

Did you know...

Sometimes, elegant tits can be seen foraging with other birds such as fantails and warblers.

The elegant tit bird is mentioned in the book 'Handbook Of The Birds Of The World'. This book, edited by notable researchers like Josep del Hoyo and David A. Christie, records every living bird in the world. The part on tit birds and the family Paridae was edited by Andrew Gosler and Peter Clement.

Are elegant tits endemic?

Yes, elegant tits are endemic to the Philippines. This means that they are only found in that country and nowhere else in the world.

How does the elegant tit compare with other tit birds?

When you compare an elegant tit with other tit birds, there are a lot of similarities and some differences. For example, they have common features in regards to their height and weight. The elegant tit even shares its coloration with other tits like the great tit, while the long-tailed tit and the coal tit have different plumage coloration.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our blackburnian warbler interesting facts and Hawaiian honeycreeper fun facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable blue tit coloring pages.