African blue tit

African blue tit
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Passerimorphae
Order	Passeriformes
Sub-order	Passeri
Infraorder	Passerida
Family Information
Superfamily	Passeroidea
Family	Paridae
Genus Information
Genus	Cyanistes
Species Information
Species	C. teneriffae
Population statistics
Population	Unknown
Conservation status	Least concern

The African blue tit (Cyanistes teneriffae) is a small species of passerine bird of the family Paridae, and found over North Africa and the Canary Islands.

Description

The African blue tit is up to 5.2 inches long, with a wingspan of 7.3 inches, and weighs about 0.4 ounces. The plumage is blue above, with a yellow belly bearing a single, black ventral stripe; the shade of yellow varies among the subspecies, from a bright yellow to nearly white. A black stripe circles the base of the head, merging upwards at the chin, with a black eyestripe from beak to back of the head. It has white cheek patches and a white ring at the top of the head, which is capped by a black crown. The under tail-coverts are greenish yellow, the under wing coverts yellow. The iris is dark brown to black, the small, pointed bill slate gray to black with paler cutting edges. The legs are dark gray. Males and females are alike. In young birds, over-eye stripes, neck and ear covers are yellow, the head cap and top of the body are greenish-blue to olive green, the underside of the body is dull yellow, sometimes grayish or brown, and the black belly stripe is usually missing.

Subspecies

• Cyanistes teneriffae cyrenaicae; northeastern Libya
• Cyanistes teneriffae degener; Canary Islands: Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
• Cyanistes teneriffae hedwigii; Canary Islands: Gran Canaria
• Cyanistes teneriffae ombriosus; Canary Islands: El Hierro
• Cyanistes teneriffae palmensis; Canary Islands: La Palma
• Cyanistes teneriffae teneriffae; Canary Islands: Gomera and Tenerife
• Cyanistes teneriffae ultramarinus; northwestern Africa: Morocco to northern Tunisia

Range and habitat

The species is found in the Canary Islands, eastward into North Africa, from Morocco to northern Tunisia, within the area roughly defined by the Atlas mountains. A population also exists in northern Libya east of Benghazi. It is non-migratory, existing in arid shrublands to forested environments, either natural or man-made.

Feeding

Diet consists of aphids, small butterflies and beetles, as well as their larvae. Prey items are sought in trees and in the undergrowth, with the bird sometimes a bit of an acrobat, hanging upside down on branches, pine cones and leaves.