Belongs within: Sylviida.
Contains: Poecile, Parus.
The Paridae, tits, are a family of mostly very small, often boldly patterned birds found in Eurasia, Africa and North America. Most species have short, stout, pointed bills with the nostrils partially concealed by feathers, and rounded wings with the outermost of the ten primary feathers only half the length of the second. They are mostly cavity nesters.
In the past, most tits have been included within a single genus Parus. However, more recent classifications have recognised several distinct genera within the family. The yellow-browed tit Sylviparus modestus is a yellowish-green tit with a weak crest found in montane forests of Asia. Melaniparus is a genus of dark-plumaged species found in Africa.
<==Paridae [Parinae]
| i. s.: Acredula macrura Seeb. 1883 [=A. caudata var. macrura]M01
| Cephalopyrus Bonaparte 1854AP21, B94 [Cephalopyridae]
| `--C. flammicepsJT12
| CyanistesAP21
| |--C. caeruleus (Linnaeus 1758) [=Parus caeruleus]CC10
| |--C. cyanusAP21
| `--C. teneriffaeAP21
|--Sylviparus Burton 1836BKB15, B94
| `--S. modestusBKB15
`--+--Melanochlora sultanea (Hodgs. 1836)BKB15, W66 [=Parus sultaneusW66; incl. P. flavocristatusW66]
`--+--+--+--LophophanesBKB15
| | | |--L. cristatus (Linnaeus 1758)BKB15, M02 [=Parus cristatusJF06]
| | | `--L. dichrousBKB15 [=Parus dichrousJF06]
| | `--BaeolophusBKB15
| | |--B. wollweberiBKB15 [=Parus wollweberiJF06]
| | `--+--+--B. atricristatusBKB15
| | | `--B. bicolorBKB15 [=Parus bicolorJF06]
| | `--+--B. inornatusBKB15 [=Parus inornatusJF06]
| | `--B. ridgwayiBKB15
| `--+--PoecileBKB15
| `--+--PardaliparusBKB15
| | |--P. amabilisBKB15 [=Parus amabilisJT12, Periparus amabilisJF06]
| | `--+--P. elegansBKB15 [=Parus elegansJT12, Periparus elegansJF06]
| | `--P. venustulusBKB15 [=Parus venustulusJT12]
| `--PeriparusBKB15
| |--+--P. ater Linnaeus 1758BKB15, M02 [=Parus aterJF06]
| | | |--P. a. aterVP89
| | | `--‘Parus’ a. kuatunensisVP89
| | `--P. melanolophusJF06 [=Lophophanes melanolophusG73, Parus melanolophusJF06]
| `--+--P. rubidiventrisBKB15 [=Parus rubidiventrisJF06]
| `--P. rufonuchalisBKB15 [=Lophophanes rufonuchalisG73, Parus rufonuchalisJF06]
`--+--+--+--ParusBKB15
| | `--Pseudopodoces Zarudny & Loudon 1902BKB15, JE03
| | `--*P. humilis (Hume 1871)JE03, N10 [=Podoces humilisN10]
| `--+--+--‘Parus’ spilonotusBKB15
| | | |--P. s. spilonotusVP89
| | | `--P. s. rexVP89
| | `--‘Parus’ xanthogenysBKB15
| `--MachlolophusBKB15
| |--M. aplonotusAP21
| |--M. holstiBKB15 [=Parus holstiJT12]
| |--M. nuchalisAP21
| |--M. spilonotusS89
| `--M. xanthogenysAP21
`--MelaniparusBKB15
| i. s.: M. aferAP21 [=Parus’ aferJT12]
| M. carpiAP21
| M. cinerascensAP21
| M. fringillinusAP21
| M. griseiventrisAP21
| M. guineensisAP21
| M. leucomelasAP21
| M. leuconotusAP21
| M. pallidiventrisAP21
| M. thruppiAP21
|--+--M. fasciiventerBKB15 [=Parus fasciiventerJT12]
| `--M. funereusBKB15 [=Parus funereusJT12]
`--+--M. rufiventrisBKB15 [=Parus rufiventrisJT12]
`--+--M. albiventrisBKB15 [=Parus albiventrisJT12]
`--M. nigerBKB15 [=Parus nigerJT12]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[AP21] Arlott, N., & B. van Perlo. 2021. Collins Birds of the World. William Collins.
[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.
[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.
[G73] Gauntlett, F. M. 1973. Notes on some Kashmir birds. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 69 (3): 591–615.
[JE03] James, H. F., P. G. P. Ericson, B. Slikas, F.-M. Lei, F. B. Gill & S. L. Olson. 2003. Pseudopodoces humilis, a misclassified terrestrial tit (Paridae) of the Tibetan Plateau: Evolutionary consequences of shifting adaptive zones. Ibis 145: 185–202.
[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.
[JF06] Jønsson, K. A., & J. Fjeldså. 2006. A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds. Zoologica Scripta 35: 149–186.
[M01] Madarász, J. 1901. Madarak [Vögel]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 21–39. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.
[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.
[S89] Salvadori, T. 1889. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea nella Birmania e nelle regioni vicine. XIX.—Uccelli raccolti nei Monti Carin a nord-est di Tounghoo, nel Pegù presso Rangoon e Tounghoo e nel Tenasserim presso Malewoon. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 369–438.
[VP89] Viney, C., & K. Phillipps. 1989. Birds of Hong Kong 5th ed. Government Printer: Hong Kong.
[W66] Walden, A. 1866. Notes on birds collected in Tennasserim and in the Andaman Islands. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 537–556.