Fun Cinereous Tit Facts For Kids

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is a passerine bird that falls into the Parus cinereus mahrattarum classification of birds. A common Old World bird, it is one of  the most commonly confused group of species.

Earlier, this bird of the world used to be treated as a subspecies of the great tit, but now it is classified differently. There are multiple habitual differences between the cinereous tit and the great tit that have finally set the two apart as different sub-species.

The largest and boldest of the common tit species, the great tit is an acrobatically gifted species.

It has multiple names across the world such as its name in East Asia is Japanese tit. A common garden visitor, it is quite easy to spot a cinereous tit.

In fact, owing to its somewhat frequent appearances in local gardens, the loud sound of the cinereous tit, often perceived as a call made in a group, is a unique feature of the bird. It is a songbird and is known to produce repeated sounds in a call.

This bird mostly feeds at the upper levels of the forest, although it is known to typically not like dense forests. They tend to move in small groups that may eventually join with other birds to become mixed flocks.

They are an intelligent species of bird, choosing not to store their food like most animals of their kind. Instead, they use their abilities of swiftness and stealth to steal food. Perhaps the most intriguing quality of theirs is their unique abilities to distinguish between the eggs in their nest.

Find the article intriguing? Check out some more fun bird facts on the cockatoo and blue jay.

Cinereous Tit Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a cinereous tit?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus ambiguus) is a bird of the Passeriformes order.

What class of animal does a cinereous tit belong to?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) belongs to the class of Aves.

How many cinereous tits are there in the world?

The distribution of this species extends from parts of West Asia across South Asia and into Southeast Asia. Due to their high rate of breeding and high rate of occurrence, it's difficult to give an exact count for these birds.

However, it was made possible to record a rough number of cinereous tits due to the constant growth of the population. Today, they range roughly between 430,000,000-709,999,999. Consequently, their rate of occurrence around the world is one of the highest among passerine birds.

Where does a cinereous tit live?

The cinereous tit distribution spans across southern Russia and a wide range of countries in the Southeast Asian region including southern Afghanistan, west Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Java, India, Vietnam, and the Lesser Sundas in Indonesia. The cinereous tit map spans across an impressive range.

What is a cinereous tit's habitat?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) was known to be a bird of the wild, however, it has adapted to human settings and can now be found across both types of regions. The cinereous tit can sometimes be spotted in cultivated areas, shallow woods, and gardens.

While nesting in trees, the entrance holes in the cavities of trees are small, but they are larger than that of blue tits.

Who do cinereous tits live with?

Usually, cinereous tits are solitary birds, but sometimes, they can be joined by small groups of mixed flocks. Other birds that share the forests with the cinereous tit are wagtails, magpies, woodpeckers, robins, and many other common garden birds, as well as birds of prey.

How long does a cinereous tit live?

The life cycle of a cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) lasts for around three to four years.

How do they reproduce?

Like many other birds of deciduous forests, cinereous tits nest in the hollows of trees. The cavity of a dead tree is a favorable nesting site. The female lays around four to six eggs in the clutch.

Their incubation period lasts for around 12-15 days, and their breeding season is usually around summer. The months of breeding are not known, however, their breeding might occur around August to December in areas like Sri Lanka. Their mating habit is free from seasonal implications.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is of Least Concern as they occur in huge numbers across Asia.

Cinereous Tit Fun Facts

What do cinereous tits look like?

The cinereous tit appearance can be identified easily as it has a striking one. This bird consists of three colors which are black, white, and gray.

The gray is not outwardly visible and blends in with the white underparts. The males and females do not look very different, and they are nearly the same.

However, there are a few clues to distinguish between males and females.

While the male has a black face, blackhead, and a broad black bar running down the length of its belly, the female has a narrower central line, white cheek patch, and is slightly duller than the male.

However, the unifying features include the black central nape, broad black bib-like band, white underparts like other birds in its genus, patterned wing bars, and the black crown.

Although the color range is completely different, the cinereous tit has subtle hints of resemblance to the great tit, like the details on the upper body. These inescapable details are the primary indicators that the two species are related.

How cute are they?

Although they appear to be cute, these birds are actually pretty aggressive by nature.

How do they communicate?

Cinereous tits are famous for their incredible collection of calls and songs. Its songs are usually composed of a repetitive note in a loop that almost sounds like an object moving to and fro.

How big is a cinereous tit?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is almost the same size as that of the most prominent member of the family, the great tit (Parus major).

How fast can a cinereous tit fly?

The cinereous tit wingspan speed of average speed is about 15.5-21.1 mph (25-34 kph).

How much does a cinereous tit weigh?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) weighs almost four times less than the biggest robin, which is the American robin. The American robin weighs around 2.7 oz (77 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

These birds are called a cinereous tit male and a cinereous tit female. There are no specific names for the two sexes.

What would you call a baby cinereous tit?

Like many other birds of the world, babies of cinereous tits are referred to as nestlings when they are still inside their nests and fledglings when they are freshly out of their nests. All baby birds have share these names.

What do they eat?

Common foods include bugs, beetles, and seasonal fruits. They even hunt trees for insects, sunflower seeds in accordance with their foraging feeding habits. They also search for food in the entrance holes of trees. Although cinereous tits are predatory, they aren't immune to predators either. The nests of cinereous tits are raided by woodpeckers.

Are they poisonous?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is non-poisonous and harmless to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is a bit aggressive for being kept as a pet.  

Did you know...

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) acts as a great pollution buster by helping remove pests from gardens.  

Cinereous tits love feeding on nuts.

Unlike many other birds, the cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) will happily breed in nest boxes rather than hunting for locations to nest in.

They have a unique sense of intelligence as they use materials in their surrounding to help them with finding food and nesting.

To adapt to their technique for hunting insects from tree barks, they are evolving to have longer beaks.

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) is the descendant subspecies of the great tit (Parus major). Previously, they were put in the same species until the cinereous tit was declared as a separate subspecies altogether.

The Japanese tit (Parus minor),also called the oriental tit, is a passerine bird that replaces the similar great tit bird in Japan.

The names Parus cinereus mahrattarum and Parus cinereus ambiguus are products of regional variation of this species. This bird is known as the Parus cinereus ambiguus in the Malay peninsula and Sumatran Islands. The species has many names across the world and it is known as the southern great tit in India.

D0 cinereous tits migrate?

The cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) practices elevational migration, and their pattern of migration is known as the elevational species replacement. As the name suggests, this type of migration occurs in the same location but at different elevations.

Cinereous tit migration patterns are different across their western and eastern habitats. The birds in the east are usually migratory during the breeding season, while the birds in the west are not. The great tit, however, is not a migratory species.

Is the cinereous tit endangered?

The cinereous tit range across various countries in the Asian continent is widespread and they haven't shown any signs of population decline in the past years. They are far from being endangered at the moment.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these hummingbird facts and vesper sparrow facts for kids.

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