Wildlifeof Vietnam
Sultan Tit
Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers
Photo: Sangyam adventurer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Melanochlora sultanea
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly invertebrates and larvae; sometimes figs
Habitat
Forages singly or in small groups in the mid and upper canopy; nests in a lined tree cavity
Clutch size
5–7 eggs
Size
20–20.5cm
Weight
34–49g
The sultan tit is the largest species of tit, 20 to 20.5cm long and weighing 34 to 49g. It is an Asian forest bird with black upperparts and yellow underparts, a dark bill and, depending on subspecies, a yellow or black crest. The sexes are similar, though the female is slightly duller with greenish-black upperparts and throat; young birds are duller with a shorter crest (Wikipedia, general species account).
It forages in the mid and upper canopy, singly or in small groups, feeding mainly on insects and larvae but sometimes on figs. It is vocal, with loud, short, repeated and variable whistling notes of a tit-like quality, a rattling 'chi-dip, tri-trip', harsh hissing calls and squeaky 'wheet' whistles. Five to seven eggs are laid inside a lined tree cavity.
Quick answers
- What does the Sultan Tit eat?
- Mostly invertebrates and larvae; sometimes figs
- What habitat does the Sultan Tit live in?
- Forages singly or in small groups in the mid and upper canopy; nests in a lined tree cavity
- How many eggs does the Sultan Tit lay?
- 5–7 eggs
- How big is the Sultan Tit?
- 20–20.5cm
- How much does the Sultan Tit weigh?
- 34–49g