The Iriomote tit (Sittiparus olivaceus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the Yaeyama Islands which lie to the south west of Japan and to the east of Taiwan. Iriomote is the name of the largest island in the group.

Iriomote tit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Sittiparus
Species:
S. olivaceus
Binomial name
Sittiparus olivaceus
Kuroda, 1923
Synonyms
  • Sittiparus varius olivaceus
  • Poecile varius olivaceus

The Iriomote tit was first described by the Japanese ornithologist Nagamichi Kuroda in 1923 and given the trinomial name Sittiparus varius olivaceus.[2] It was formerly considered as subspecies of the varied tit but after the publication of a phylogenetic study in 2014 it was promoted to species status.[3][4]

The species differs from the varied tit in having a washed olive colouring on the back.[5]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Sittiparus olivaceus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. IUCN: e.T103758992A112810967. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103758992A112810967.en. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ Kuroda, Nagamichi (1923). "Sittiparus varius olivaceus, subsp. nov". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 43: 90–91.
  3. ^ McKay, B.D.; Mays Jnr, H.L.; Tao, C.-T.; Wan, D.; Higuchi, H.; Nishium, I. (2014). "Incorporating color into integrative taxonomy: analysis of the Varied Tit (Sittiparus varius) complex in East Asia". Systems Biology. 63 (4): 505–517. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syu016. PMID 24603127.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Gosler, A.; Clament, P. (2016). "Varied Tit (Poecile varius)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 16 February 2016.(subscription required)