Parus

Eck, Siegfried, 2006, The Palaearctic Titmouse Species (Aves: Paridae: Parus sensu lato) — A current survey *, Zootaxa 1325, pp. 7-54 : 17-19

1. Parus [m.] major

P. m a j o r, major­ group

In his revision of the western Palaearctic Great Tits v. Jordans (1970: 210–211) was concerned extensively with the size variation of the North African Great Tits (excelsus) and emphasises the unique features of their coloration (as does Snow 1957); see also Kluijver (1939), Eck (1990: 31–32), Roselaar (1993: In Cramp & Perrins, 7; 1995). The area occupied by the green­backed/yellow­bellied population group (P2) is enormous (like that of P 15/16) and includes many occurrences on islands. In some places a population mosaic, in terms of wing length or extent of white on the rectrices, is known ( Snow 1957), but no really isolated group with a conspicuous characteristic (but cf. Garant et al. 2004, 2005). The subspecies on Mediterranean islands require more detailed study.

The European major populations make contact with three other population groups (3, 5, 6) in Asia, and hybridisation occurs to a certain extent everywhere in these regions. At the Amur, in any case, there is only a limited interbreeding between P. major kapustini and P. minor wladiwostokensis , which retain considerable bioacoustic differences and relatively high molecular­genetic distance values ( Päckert et al. 2005), so that it is justified to consider Parus minor as a species separate from P. major .

P. major excelsus BUVRY, 1857 [Nrakta el abbia Forest, NE Algeria; syn. lynesi HARTERT, 1926, oak forest near Azrou, Middle Atlas Mts., Morocco]; P. major newtoni PRAZá K, 1894 [Lake District, England, Clancey]; P. major major L., 1758 [ Sweden, Hartert]; P. m a j o r ssp. [Sicily, see v. Jordans, 1970: 217]; P. major sulfureus KOLLIBAY, 1904 [S Dalmatia]; P. major kapustini PORTENKO, 1954 [Sretensk]; P. major mallorcae V. JORDANS, 1913 [Palma, Valldemosa, Majorca]; P. major ecki V. JORDANS, 1970 [Mt. Tortoli, Sardinia]; P. major corsus KLEINSCHMIDT, 1903 [Ajaccio, Corsica]; P. m a j o r niethammeri V. JORDANS, 1970 [Canea, Crete]; P. major aphrodite MADARá SZ, 1901 [near Larnaca, Cyprus, syn. peloponnesius PARROT, 1905, near Kalamai, S Greece]; P. m a j o r terraesanctae HARTERT, 1910 [Jerusalem];? P. major karelini ZARUDNYJ, 1910 [Talysh to Astarabad]; P. major blanfordi PRAZá K, 1894 [Tehran, Hartert].

P. m a j o r, bokharensis group (for nomenclature see Eck & Piechocki, 1977: 131 and Eck 1977, 1992). These round­winged/long­tailed great tits have previously been separated as independent species (Turkestan Tit) by most authors, but have also been included in the “ cinereus group”. Populations are thought to exist in which the juveniles exhibit a delicate hint of yellow ( Harrap 1996). — At present it seems that this group, apparently so different from major s.str., is especially close to the latter with respect to molecular­genetic and bioacoustic criteria ( Päckert et al. 2005). The same applies to the Blue Tits s. str. and the Azure Tits, and so our interpretation of striking morphological differences as being especially old might need to be corrected. — Regarding the complicated nomenclature of the bokharensis subspecies cf. Eck (1992).

P. major bokharensis LICHTENSTEIN, 1823 [Bukhara;? syn. panderi ZARUDNY, 1913, Transcaspia]; P. major turkestanicus ZARUDNY & LOUDON, 1905 [Tashkent, see Eck, 1977: 197; syn. ferghanensis BUTURLIN, 1912, Kurshab, Alai Mts.]; P. major iliensis ZARUDNY & BILKEWITSCH, 1912 [Djarkent = Panfilow]; P. major dzungaricus ZARUDNY & BILKEWITSCH, 1912 [Orchu River, Dzungaria; syn. turkestanicus auct.].

The population groups: P 1 excelsus; NW Africa. – Fig. Fry & Keith (2000, Table 5 ad. and juv.)

* Colour pattern like P2, white on the tail feathers distinctly reduce. — Wing length of 10 ɗɗ 73–80 mm, X = 76.3 mm ± 2.32. Further details in Fry & Keith (2000: 87): wing length of 62 ɗɗ 74–84 mm, x = 77.0 mm, of 22 ΨΨ 72–77 mm, x = 74.2 mm and v. Jordans (1970). – Distinctly rounder­winged than P2, with an average wing/tip index (WTI) of 15.9 % (n=14) as opposed to 18.7 % (58 ɗ) or 19.0 (37 Ψ) in ssp. major , cf. Eck (1990: 46).

P 2 newtoni, major , sulfureus, kapustini, mallorcae, ecki, corsus, ssp. of Sicily,

niethammeri, aphrodite, terraesanctae,? karelini, blanfordi; Europe to E Siberia. — Fig.

Quinn: Plate 27: 85 a–e, in part.

* Peripheral form on the British Isles is strong­billed. Generally from W Europe to E Asia (somewhat lighter there) very uniform in plumage coloration and wing length. In the south of the western Palaearctic the colour of the small feathers, like the white of the wedge­shaped spot on the tail feathers ( Snow 1957: 41), varies more, particularly on different islands. — Wing length on the islands somewhat less. Cf. v. Jordans (1970) and survey map for Europe by Eck (1990b: 32) and Roselaar (1993 in Cramp & Perrins 7: 280–281; 1995).

P 3 panderi, bokharensis , turkestanicus, iliensis, dzungaricus; C Asia. – Fig. Quinn: Plate 28: 86, in part.

* Adult birds lack lipochrome. Differentiated in the shade of the back colour, the wing length and bill shape, greater from west to east. Cf. Eck (1992c).