Willow Tit

Parus montanus (Baldenstein, 1827)

		adult juvenile
2012-11-20 Eastern Kazakstan,Usti-Kamenogorsk .Komsomolskii ostrov 2008-07-22 Rakhmanovskoe lake, Southern Altai	© Vladimir Shefer © Gennadiy Dyakin

Distribution

Breeds in Northern Kazakhstan (Naurzum, Kokchetav upland, Alekseyevka area), near Shortandy, in Pavlodar Trans-Irtysh area, Semipalatinsk, Kazakh Upland (Bayanaul, Karkaralinsk), Kalbinskiy Altai, on Southwest Altai and Saur. On dispersal occurs in Irtysh, Ishim and Tobol rivers valleys rivers, in Utva-Ilek area, and sometimes in lower Ural valley and about Karaganda.

Biology

Common, in places rare resident. Inhabits the coniferous (pine, larch, fir) or mixed (with birch, poplar and willow) forests; and deciduous flood-land forests at altitudes to 2000 m, where lives all the year round. Breeds in separate pairs which are formed in late winter – early spring. Nest is built by female (male escort her only) in dead-tree hole or stub-hole (birch, poplar, larch, fir) at height 0.4-6 m above the ground; nest is from bast and is lined with plenty of hair and feathers. Clutch of 4-8 eggs is laid in mid-May – mid-June. Only female incubates clutch for 13-15 days, male brings her the food. Both parents feed juveniles which fledge in mid-June – mid-July. Dispersal in small groups begins in August – September.

Subspecies

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.