The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma/Birds/Order Passeres/Family Paridæ/Genus Machlolophus

by Edward Charles Stuart Baker

 

Genus MACHLOLOPHUS Cabanis, 1850.

This genus contains a group of rather large Titmouses with black and yellow plumage, structurally close to the genus Parus but with long pointed crests. Like Parus, however, the birds of this genus have a broad ventral band aud graduated tails.

Key to Species and Subspecies.

A.

Forehead bright yellow.

a.

Paler and brighter, green of back more yellow and less olive ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

M. spilonotus spilonotus, p. 89.

b.

Darker, green of back more olive, less yellow and with more black in proportion ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

M. s. subviridis, p. 90.

B.

Forehead black.

c.

Paler and brighter, tips of wing-coverts yellow ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

M. xanthogenys xanthogenys, p. 90.

d.

Darker and duller, tips of wing-coverts white ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

M. x. aplonotus, p. 91.

(73) Machlolophus spilonotus spilonotus.

The Northern Black-spotted Yellow-Tit.

Parus spilonotus Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S., xvi, p. 445 (1849) (Himalayas, N. Cachar).

Machlolophus spilonotus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 54.

Vernacular names. Muchetink-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead, lores, a broad supercilium, a nape-patch, sides of the head and neck bright yellow; crown, crest, a patch on either side the nape, chin, throat and a broad mesial line down to the vent black; the longer feathers of the crest tipped with yellow; sides of the breast yellow; remainder of the lower plumage olive-yellow, purer next the black band; under tail-coverts mixed grey and white; under wing-coverts and axillaries yellowish white; back and scapulars yellow, each feather laterally margined with yellow; rump yellowish green; upper tail-coverts dark bluish grey; tail black, broadly edged with bluish grey and tipped with white, the outer web of the outermost feather entirely white; lesser wing-coverts black, tipped with bluish grey; median and greater coverts and inner secondaries black with broad white tips; primaries white at base, the outer ones edged with white, the others and the outer secondaries edged with bluish grey and the latter narrowly tipped white.

Colours of soft parts. Irides brown or red-brown; legs and feet bluish plumbeous or dark blue-slate; bill black.

Measurements. Length about 140 mm.; wing 72 to 78 mm.; tail about 58 mm.; tarsus about 22 mm.; culmen about 10 to 11 mm.

The young have no black margins to the feathers of the back and the throat, breast and ventral band are tinged with green.

Distribution. Nepal to Miri Hills north of the Brahmaputra hills south of Brahmaputra to Looshai and Lakhimpur and ? Chin Hills.

Nidification. Breeds very commonly in the Khasia Hills in April, May and June, a few birds nesting both earlier and later. The eggs are laid in holes of trees, stone walls and, very rarely, banks. The nest is a pad of moss, grass and bits of bracken mixed with fur, wool or hair and with a layer entirely composed of the three latter on the top. The eggs number from four to six and are white boldly spotted, blotched and speckled with light reddish brown with a few underlying of pale neutral tint or grey.

The average of 100 eggs is 17.6 × 14.1 mm. Like most Tits these birds are very close and fearless sitters, often allowing themselves to be caught on the nest rather than leave their eggs or young.

Habits. North of the Brahmaputra this fine Tit is confined to elevations of 5,000 feet upwards but in the Khasia Hills, Manipur, etc., it is common at 4,000 feet and descends in winter even lower. It may be found either in small parties of half-a-dozen or so, or in pairs. It is a bold familiar bird entering compounds freely and with little fear of watchers. Less restless than the Grey-Tits it is still an active, energetic bird and when hunting for insects assumes the same curious attitudes. It is a much stronger flier than the Grey-Tits and keeps more exclusively to the higher trees but I have seen it hunting low down in Mimosa trees when they are in flower.

It is an early riser and its loud "Did-he-do-it Did-he-do-it No, he didn't" may be heard soon after dawn breaks. This call is generally uttered from the top of some tree, especially the first thing in the morning.

 

(74) Machlolophus spilonotus subviridis.

The Burmese Black-spotted Yellow Tit.

Parus subviridis Tickell (Blyth), J.A.S.B., vol. xxiv, p. 265 (1855) (Tenasserim).

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. This is a darker bird than the last, the green of the back and flanks more olive and the extent of the black greater both above and on the median ventral line.

Measurements etc. as in the last bird.

Distribution. Burma, Siam, Shan States and south to Tenasserim, where it was obtained on Mt. Muleyit.

Nidification. Similar to the last. The eggs measure about 18·5 × 13·5 mm. (Mackenzie).

Habits. Is apparently found down as low as 3,000 feet but generally keeps more or less to the pine forest region of about 4,500 to 6,000 feet.

 

(75) Machlolophus xanthogenys xanthogenys.

The Northern Yellow-cheeked Tit.

Parus xanthogenys Vigors, P.Z.S., i, p. 23 (1831) (Himalayas).

Machlolophus xanthogenys. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 55.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Lores, forehead, crown, crest, sides of the nape, a bar on the side of the neck, a broad streak behind the eye, chin, throat, centre of the breast and a broad band down the middle of the abdomen black, the longer feathers of the crest tipped with yellow; a distinct supercilium over the eye and ear-coverts, a nape-patch, the cheeks, ear-coverts, sides of the breast and of the upper abdomen bright yellow; remainder of the lower surface olive-yellow: under tail-coverts white; back and rump olive-green, upper tail-coverts slaty; scapulars and lesser wing-coverts black, broadly edged with olive-green; the other coverts black tipped yellow; primary coverts dark brown; primaries white at base, and the outer ones edged with white below the emarginations; outer secondaries edged with bluish and tipped with white, the inner secondaries with still broader white tips; tail dark brown suffused with ashy-blue on the outer webs, all the feathers tipped with white and the outer web of the outermost pair entirely white.

Colours of soft parts. Iris deep brown; bill black; legs and feet clear light slaty blue or lavender-blue.

Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 69 to 73 mm.; tail about 58 mm.; tarsus about 20 mm.; culmen about 10 mm.

The young differ from the adult in having the black mostly replaced with greenish brown and the crown the same colour as the back.

Distribution. Murree to Nepal and Sikkim. The many birds recorded as xanthogenys from various places south of the Himalayas are all the next bird as far as can be now ascertained.

Nidification. Similar to that of M. s. spilonotus. The average of thirty eggs is 17·7 × 13·1 mm.

Habits. This Tit is found between 4,000 and 7,000 feet in summer and does not seem to work much lower in winter. In its habits generally it differs little from the Black-spotted Yellow-Tits. Its call, flight and feeding-liabits are all described as similar.

(76) Machlolophus xanthogenys aplonotus.
The Southern Yellow-cheeked Tit.

Panis aplonotus Blyth, J.A.S.B., x.vi, p. 444 (1847) (Mts. of Central India).

Machlolophus haplonotus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 56.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Differs from the northern bird in having the wing-coverts tipped with white instead of yellow and in having the green and yellow portions of the plumage dull instead of bright. In this bird also the line over the ear-coverts only extends to the corner of the eye and not over it.

Colours of soft parts and measurements as in the Northern Yellow-cheeked Tit. A careful examination of the big series in the British Museum does not show that there is any difference in size between the Northern and Southern races in spite of Oates's opinion to the contrary.

Distribution. Throughout the Peninsula of India South of a line drawn from Abu to Paresnath in Chota Nagpur, up to elevations of about 6,000 feet. This Tit does not appear to be found East of Paresnath or West of Abu.

Nidification. Similar to that of the Northern race. The average of thirty eggs is about 17·4 × 13·9 mm. They are not distinguishable from those of the last bird. It is said to breed from May to September.

Habits. Is found during the breeding season between 2,000 and 6,000 feet, wandering higher than this in the Nilgiris and coming down to the level of the plains, especially in winter. There is nothing special recorded about its habits.