Sultan Tit

Introduction of Sultan Tit

The sultan tit (Scientific Name : Melanochlora sultanea) is a songbird of large size. It is about 17 cm long and weight is around 34-49 g. It is included in the Order Passeriformes. Family is Paridae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanochlora which is fairly distinct from the Parus tits with the nearest relative being the monotypic Sylviparus.

How to Identify Sultan Tit

The forehead and crown with the crest of a male Sultan Tit is of brilliant yellow color; all upper plumage, sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and breast is deep glossy black with green, the edges of the feathers of the upper plumage with a metallic lustre, and the outermost tail-feathers tipped with white. Plumage of underpart from the breast downwards is deep yellow colored, the thighs barred or mottled with white. The recumbent crest is raised when the bird is alert or alarmed.
The color of bill is black. The mouth dark fleshy, the eyelids are grey and the iris are dark brown.The legs are grey; the claws dark horn. The tail measures 3.8 inches, the wing 4.4 inches and the tarsus 0.95 inches. The bill from the gape 0.75 inches.
The female Sultan Tit has duller yellow parts than male.The upper plumage and sides of the head is dark greenish brown; the chin and throat is glossy dark olive-green. Color of wings and tail is dull black and the feathers of the upper plumage edged with metallic green.
The young Sultan Tit looks like the female, but in the youngest stage, the bright edges to the plumage of the upper parts are absent, and the greater wing-coverts are edged with white.

Sultan Tit

Habits and Habitats

They forage in the mid and upper canopy singly or in small groups .Diet are mainly insects, caterpillars, small invertebrates and larvae, principally grasshoppers and crickets , mantises and spiders. But sometimes feed on figs and small berries. Generally fairly vocal. Calls include flat but stony or rattling "chi-dip, tri-trip".Their calls are loud with short repeated and variable whistling notes have a tit-like quality. The flight is slow and fluttery.
The breeding season in India is April to July and the clutch is of seven eggs laid inside a lined tree cavity.

Distribution

Sultan Tit species has four recognized subspecies.
The race Melanochlora sultanea sultanea (Hodgson, 1837) found from Central Nepal into the eastern Himalayas extending into Myanmar, northern Thailand and Southern China.
The race Melanochlora sultanea flavocristata (Lafresnaye, 1837) is found further south in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and Hainan.
Race Melanochlora sultanea seorsa is found in Laos and parts of southeastern China (Guangxi, Fujian) and in its northern range intergrades with sultanea.
Race Melanochlora sultanea gayeti (Delacour & Jabouille, 1925 )which has a black crest in both males and females is found in Laos and Vietnam.
In India, this species are found in the lower ranges of the Himalayas from Nepal to the head of the Assam valley, the Khasi hills, Cachar, Manipur, the Kakhyen hills east of Bhamo, Arrakan, the Pegu hills, Karennee, and Tenasserim. This species does not appear to be found above 4000 feet of elevation. It extends down the Malay peninsula. It frequents the larger trees in small flocks. In some forest areas such as the Buxa Tiger Reserve, the density has been estimated at around 15 per square kilometre.
The breeding season in India is April to July. Nests are composed mostly of grass, green moss, plant down and fibres and the clutch is of seven eggs laid inside a lined tree cavity. They feed on caterpillars and sometimes small berries.
The Sultan Tit is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as they are widely distributed within suitable habitats throughout its large range.