Fun Green-backed Tit Facts For Kids

The green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) is a bird species part of the Paridae family, genus Parus. This family of birds consists of chickadees, titmice, and various tits found all over the world. The green-backed tit is found in the habitats of boreal forest, temperate forest, and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest in many Eurasian countries like India, China, Nepal, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Burma, Pakistan, and Vietnam. In India, the bird species is mostly found in the Himalayas and the northeastern hills.

The green-backed tit is said to greatly resemble the great tit which is found in Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia. However, the green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) is found in higher altitudes too.

There are four subspecies of the bird. They are - Parus monticolus monticolus, Parus monticolus yunnanensis, Parus monticolus legendrei, and Parus monticolus insperatus. The birds move in flocks. These flocks can contain mixed species too, containing birds like babblers, warblers, flycatchers, and the great tit. The usual diet of the green-backed tit includes small invertebrates, larvae, fruits, seeds, and berries.

For more relatable content, check out these interesting willow tit facts and Eurasian blue tit facts.

What type of animal is a green-backed tit?

The green-backed tit is a bird species found in Asian countries including India and China.

What class of animal does a green-backed tit belong to?

The green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) is part of the Paridae family, genus Parus of the class of Aves in the kingdom of Animalia.

How many green-backed tits are there in the world?

There is no information on the population of these birds in the world. We know the birds are found abundant in India and the rest of the Asian countries. There is no immediate threat to the population of the bird species currently, however, they are affected by habitat degradation. The area of occurrence of these birds is spread across 2884183.1 sq mi (7,470,000 sq km).

Where does a green-backed tit live?

The green-backed tit range extends across the Asian countries of India, China, Nepal, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Burma, Pakistan, and Vietnam. In India, the birds are found in many places including West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh. However, the species is most abundant in the Himalayan areas and the northeastern hilly regions of India.

What is a green-backed tit's habitat?

The habitat of the species includes temperate and subtropical forests. These forests include deciduous forests and moist subtropical evergreen forests. The birds are also seen in higher-altitude birches and juniper and in the undergrowth of scrub and bamboo trees. The main habitats are the boreal forests, temperate forests, and subtropical/tropical moist lowland forests.

However, during the off-breeding season, the birds travel to open areas like gardens, cultivation areas, and forest edges. While breeding, the species live at an altitude between 7546-11975 ft (2300-3650 m), while in the winter season, the birds are found at an altitude of 328-10006.5 ft (100-3050 m).

Who do green-backed tits live with?

They live in flocks, sometimes even in mixed flocks.

How long does a green-backed tit live?

The lifespan of these birds is not known.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season is from February to July. The nest is made by the females only and they lay a clutch of four to eight eggs. The nests are made of grass, fibers, moss, hair, wool, and feathers. It is placed in holes of tree trunks, rocks, and earth banks. Eggs are incubated by females and the males feed the mother. Chicks are fed by both.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) is categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. They are only affected by habitat loss but there is not much decrease in population.  

What do green-backed tits look like?

The green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) is a small songbird with a bright yellow belly and greenish back. The bird has two narrow white wing bars rather than one broad one seen in other species. Males have glossy blue foreheads, crowns, and nape. There is a small whitish patch in the center of the lower nape. The upper side of the mantle is yellowish and the rest of the area in the mantle is bright olive-green. The rump is light gray in color and the upper tail-coverts are blackish. The tail is colored black with dull violet-blue fringes and white-tipped feathers.

Differentiating the similar-looking great tit and the green-backed tit on the basis of identification is not an easy task. There are only a few distinguishing elements on the body of the bird species which is discussed later.

How cute are they?

The bright coloration makes them quite cute.

How do they communicate?

They communicate via calls, which helps in the identification of the birds.

How big is a green-backed tit?

The length of the bird species is between 4.92-5.11 in (12.5-13 cm). The coal tit found in Europe, Asia, and Morocco belongs to the same group of birds as the green-backed tit. The range of length of this bird species is around 3.9-4.5 in (10-11.4 cm).

How fast can a green-backed tit fly?

The green-backed tit flying speed is not known.

How much does a green-backed tit weigh?

The weight of the species is around 0.026-0.037 lb (11.7-16.7 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females are not given different names.

What would you call a baby green-backed tit?

The baby of these birds is called a chick.

What do they eat?

The diet of the green-backed tit includes invertebrates, larvae, berries, seeds, flower buds, and fruit. The diet is restricted to seeds in winter and invertebrates during summer. However, they also feed on other things in both seasons.

The great tit feeds mostly on insects like earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, and ants.

Are they dangerous?

They pose no danger to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

They are not considered pets.

Did you know...

The scientific name of the green-backed tit is Parus monticolus. The birds mostly feed on invertebrates, insect larvae, fruits, and seeds.

The etymological information says that the scientific name can be divided into three parts to know the origin of the species. Parus is a Latin word for the tit bird. Dividing monticolus into two parts, mons denote mountains and cola denotes inhabitant. This is the reason the mountain dweller birds are mostly seen in the Himalayan range of India.

What noise does the green-backed tit make?

The bird mostly remains undercover and in large groups. They usually make clear 'te-te' calls and are very loud. The song is a series of three to four whistles and the calls sometimes sound like 'deedeedee' which is infrequent.

Comparison with other tits

The green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) looks similar to the great tit (Parus major). However, they can be differentiated by the presence of two white wing bars, brighter green upperparts, a white patch at the base of the wing covers, and blue leading edges on their wing feathers on the green-backed tit. However, it is not easy to distinguish between the birds through the identification process.

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 long-tailed tit facts and bushtit facts for kids.

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