| Japanese Tit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paridae |
| Genus: | Parus |
| Species: | Parus minor |
The Japanese Tit (Parus minor), also known as the Oriental Tit, is a small bird in the family Paridae. It is basically the East Asian counterpart of the Great Tit, of which it was classified a subspecies and with which it coexists in the Russian Far East without intermingling or frequent hybridization.
Description[]
The bird is about 14.5 cm (5.7 in) long and weighs 11-20 g (0.38-0.70 oz). Although its specific name minor means small, it's still quite a relatively large bird in the family Paridae. Its plumage is similar to that of the Great Tit's, with which in size it is also similar, yet it is lighter on the beige underparts compared to the nominate subspecies of the male Great Tit. A large black stripe, thicker in males than in females, from the black throat and white-cheeked head, runs through the underparts to the undertail coverts. Its back is greyish green along with the nape's colors, white and yellow, blending with it. The median and lesser wing coverts are bluish grey, the color also being the color of the rump, edges of the black flight feathers, where it is greyer and lighter, along with the primary coverts, alulae, tail feathers, and the white-tipped secondary coverts. The legs and beak are blackish. Young birds have a thinner and less evident black stripe, along with a yellowish tinge on the cheeks and underparts.
Voice[]
Its twittering song is high-pitched and well-passed, loud enough to be heard even if the bird is singing at a distance that cannot be seen even with binoculars. The gruff "deedeedee" sound, rendered in Japanese as "Jijiji~tsu", is also what gives the bird its Japanese name (Shijukara) as it sounds like "shijuu".
In 2016, the Japanese Tit has made the headlines as the species that is featured in the first such evidence, particularly experimental, of compositional syntax in nonhuman animals, as published in a report by Toshitaka Suzuki et al. in Nature Communications. It demonstrated that the Japanese Tit will respond to the recruitment call of the Willow Tit but only as long as it follows the Japanese Tit alert call in the correct alert+recruitment order, proving that Japanese Tits recognize the parts of the combination. In addition, it has been found that when a Japanese Tit hears a warning call of its species, it does not just pay attention to its surroundings, but re-understands the meaning of the signal by creating an image in the brain.
Behavior[]
During the non-breeding season from autumn to winter, Japanese Tits form flocks of several to ten or even dozens, forming small mixed flocks that may include other species of the tit family that live in their range.
Feeding[]
It is omnivorous and eats fruits, seeds, insects and spiders both on the surface and in the trees.
Nesting and Breeding[]
The breeding season of Japanese Tits typically starts from late January and goes on until September. In some places, the breeding season occurs all year round. Most Japanese Tits show monogamous behavior, though very few numbers of birds may be polygamous. The species mainly nests in tree cavities, but in urban areas, it may also go for structures such as stone walls and private houses, and use nest boxes. It may also nest in upside-down flower pots. The bowl-shaped nest is built by the female as she combines moss with materials of animal hair, fern cotton, wool, etc. 7-10 eggs are laid in April-July once or twice a year. They are 1.55-1.85 cm × 1.25-1.40 cm in diameter and white with small reddish brown or gray spots. The female sticks to incubating the eggs for 12-14 days. Chicks leave the nest 16-19 days after hatching.
Distribution and Habitat[]
It is a common bird in almost all of Japan (except Bonin Islands), Kuril Islands, around 3 fifths of Sakhalin, and the rest of East Asia including southern Amur, Primorye and Khabarovsk Krai, northeast, southwest and east China, Arunachal Pradesh and northwestern southeast Asia. While it is a sedentary bird, rarely it may migrate in cold climates or when food is quite scarce. It inhabits parks and gardens, wherein urban areas they're commonly seen and familiar, as well as forests and marshes in low-altitude mountains.
Relationship with Humans[]
The Japanese Tit was featured on the design of the 70 Japanese yen stamps sold from July 22, 1997 to March 31, 2014.