Periparus

Taxobox | name = "Periparus"


image_width = 240px
image_caption = Coal Tit, "Periparus ater"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Paridae
genus = "Periparus"
genus_authority = Sélys Longchamps, 1884
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Periparus rufonuchalis"
"Periparus rubidiventris"
"Periparus amabilis"
"Periparus venustulus"
"Periparus elegans"
"Periparus ater"

"Periparus" is a genus of birds in the tit family that, as defined here, consists of the following species:

*Rufous-naped Tit or Black-breasted Tit, "Periparus rufonuchalis"
*Rufous-vented Tit, "Periparus rubidiventris"
*Palawan Tit, "Periparus amabilis"
*Yellow-bellied Tit, "Periparus venustulus"
*Elegant Tit, "Periparus elegans"
*Coal Tit, "Periparus ater"

All occur in Asia; the Coal Tit also has a wide range in Europe and North Africa. These birds have white cheeks and most have a tufted head.

Most authorities consider "Periparus" a subgenus of the genus "Parus", but the "Handbook of the Birds of the World" considers it distinct (del Hoyo et al. 2007), as does the American Ornithologists' UnionFact|date=November 2007. This is supported by mtDNA (cytochrome b) sequence analysis (Gill et al., 2005).

The Yellow-bellied Tit of China and the Palawan Tit and Elegant Tit of the Philippines are sometimes placed in a separate genus, "Pardaliparus".

To add to the uncertainty, the Elegant Tit is probably paraphyletic and the Coal Tit may be. The "melanolophus" race of the Coal Tit, called the Spot-winged Tit or Black-crested Tit, may be a separate species, in which case other races of the Coal Tit would be as well.

References

* Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2007). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 9788496553422
* Gill, Frank B.; Slikas, Beth; and Sheldon, Frederick H. (2005): Phylogeny of titmice (Paridae): II. Species relationships based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-"b" gene. "Auk" 122: 121-143. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122 [0121:POTPIS] 2.0.CO;2 [http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1642%2F0004-8038%282005%29122%5B0121%3APOTPIS%5D2.0.CO%3B2 HTML abstract]
* Peterson, Alan P. (Editor). 1999. [http://www.zoonomen.net "Zoological Nomenclature Resource" (Zoonomen)] . Accessed 2007-07-29.