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Aegithalos

Aegithalos is a genus of passerine birds in the family Aegithalidae (bushtits), encompassing majority of the species in the family.

Taxonomy

The genus Aegithalos was introduced in 1804 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann to accommodate a single species, the long-tailed tit.[2][3] The genus name was a term used by Aristotle for some European tits, including the long-tailed tit.[4]

Species

The genus contains following nine species:[5]

Image Common Name Scientific name Distribution
Long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus northern Europe and the Palearctic, into boreal Scandinavia and south into the Mediterranean zone
Silver-throated bushtit Aegithalos glaucogularis central and eastern China and south towards Yunnan
White-cheeked bushtit Aegithalos leucogenys Afghanistan, Kashmir region, and Pakistan.
Black-throated bushtit Aegithalos concinnus foothills of the Himalayas, stretching across northern India through north-eastern Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, northern Myanmar, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
White-throated bushtit Aegithalos niveogularis India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Rufous-fronted bushtit Aegithalos iouschistos eastern and central Himalayas in Bhutan, China, India and Nepal
Black-browed bushtit Aegithalos bonvaloti mid-southern China and far northern Burma.
Sooty bushtit Aegithalos fuliginosus central China.
Pygmy bushtit Aegithalos exilis Indonesia

Fossil record

  • Aegithalos gaspariki (Late Miocene of Polgardi, Hungary) [6]
  • Aegithalos congruis (Pliocene of Csarnota, Hungary) [6]

References

  1. ^ "Aegithalidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. ^ Hermann, Johann (1804). Observationes zoologicae quibus novae complures, aliaeque animalium species describuntur et illustrantur (in Latin). Argentorati [Strasbourg]: Amandum Koenig. p. 214.
  3. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 52.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Bushtits, leaf warblers, reed warblers". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Kessler, E. 2013. Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary. – Hantkeniana, Budapest, 2013, 8: 37-149.