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Caspian Tit - Poecile hyrcanus
Hyrcanian (Caspian) Tit
Scientific name: Poecile hyrcanus
The name refers to its habitat which is Hyrcanian Forests in the southern Caspian coast.
Morphological characteristics:
Length: 12-13 cm
Wingspan: 19-23 cm
Identification characteristics: the color is grey, with a brown cap, grey-brown upperparts and black neck and throat. Very similar to Sombre Tit, but the dark part of the chin does not connect to the mantle. Adults look similar and juvenile is paler than adults.
Diet:
Feeds on insects and sometimes seeds and searches for larvae and aphids on the trees.
Biological characteristics:
Habitat: in the northern forests of Iran at 1500-2300m, lower down in winter.
Behavior: very lively and usually in a group between trees, searching for food. Does not sit on top of the branch and rarely sings.
Breeding: Nests a cup of plant material and wool, built in tree-holes, and lined with plant down, wool, and feathers. Usual clutch 5-7 sub-elliptical, smooth and slightly glossy eggs, white with red-brown spots and blotches. Chicks downy and altricial.1
Distribution and abundance: restricted to the southern Caspian coast and is endemic bird for Iran and Azerbaijan. The best time for observation is the middle of spring and early summer in certain points of the forest edge. This species is of great interest to foreign birdwatchers and along with Iranian Ground-Jay has a great potential and value for the birding and Ecotourism in Iran.
References:
1. Atlas of Birds of Iran, Mohammad Kaboli, Mansour Aliabadian, Mohammad Tohidifar, Alireza Hashemi, Seyed Babak Musavi, Cees C. Roselaar
2. https://ebird.org/species/castit2
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