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Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong | profile | all galleries >> Others >> Freaky Accidents >> High Profile Species >> Tokyo 2010 >> Cyanistes varius - Varied Tit tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Cyanistes varius - Varied Tit

The Varied Tit (Cyanistes varius; see also below) is a perching bird from the tit family, Paridae. It occurs in eastern Asia in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and locally in northeastern China (southern Liaoning) and extreme southeastern Russia (southern Kurile Islands).

It is 12–14 cm long and weighs 16–18 g. The wing length is 6.0–7.8 cm. In the nominate race P. v. varius the crown, the bill, the throat, the upper breast and the nape are black. Forehead, face, and cheeks are white. Back, wings, and tail are bluish grey. Mantle, lower breast, belly and undertail coverts are chestnut coloured. From the crown to the nape runs a thin white central line. Other subspecies have a darker hue at the back and at the cheeks, P. v. owstoni has chestnut coloured cheeks and the mantle of P. v. olivaceus has an olive tone. The feet are dark grey.

Its habitat consists of open mixed forests, in particular with the Japanese Castanopsis species Castanopsis cuspidata and Japanese Larch, coniferous forests with Japanese yews, Sugi, and pines as well as bamboo forests at mountain slopes and in river valleys.

The Varied Tit eats a mixed diet consisting of seeds and insects, namely caterpillars.
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