The white-bellied tit (Melaniparus albiventris) is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

White-bellied tit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Melaniparus
Species:
M. albiventris
Binomial name
Melaniparus albiventris
(Shelley, 1881)
Synonyms

Parus albiventris

The white-bellied tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Melaniparus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.[2][3]

Specimen at Nairobi National Museum

References edit

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Melaniparus albiventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22711839A94310056. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711839A94310056.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Johansson, U.S.; Ekman, J.; Bowie, R.C.K.; Halvarsson, P.; Ohlson, J.I.; Price, T.D.; Ericson, P.G.P. (2013). "A complete multilocus species phylogeny of the tits and chickadees (Aves: Paridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 852–860. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.019. PMID 23831453.
  3. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Waxwings and their allies, tits & penduline tits". World Bird List Version 6.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 February 2016.