| Rufous-fronted Tit | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Aegithalidae |
| Genus: | Aegithalos |
| Species: | A. iouschistos |
| Binomial name | |
| Aegithalos iouschistos (Blyth, 1845) |
|
The Rufous-fronted Tit (Aegithalos iouschistos) is a small passerine bird of the eastern and central Himalayas belonging to the long-tailed tit family, Aegithalidae. It forms a superspecies with the Black-browed Tit (A. bonvaloti) of China and northern Burma and the White-throated Tit (A. niveogularis) of the western Himalayas. They have sometimes been regarded as a single species but are now often treated as separate. The ranges of the Rufous-fronted and Black-browed Tits overlap slightly in China with no evidence of hybridization.
It is 11 cm long. The adult has grey upperparts and reddish-brown underparts. The head is reddish-buff with a black mask and a silver bib with black streaks and a black edge. Juveniles are paler and duller than the adults. The Black-browed Tit is similar but has a white forehead and belly and a white edge to its bib. The White-throated Tit has a white forehead and bib and a dark breastband.
It is found in the eastern and central Himalayas in China, India, Nepal and Bhutan. It occurs in montane forests, both broad-leaved and coniferous, up to 3,600 m above sea-level. It typically feeds in flocks.