Parus ater

Eck, Siegfried, 2006, The Palaearctic Titmouse Species (Aves: Paridae: Parus sensu lato) — A current survey *, Zootaxa 1325, pp. 7-54 : 25-27

2. Parus ater

Regarding the vocal differences between the NW African and Central European Coal Tits cf. Löhrl and Thielcke (1973), Löhrl (1977), for the molecular­genetic differences between the subspecies atlas, abietum, ater , amurensis, rufipectus, aemodius, martensi and melanolophus see Corbet (2004); a very good Fig. of atlas in fresh plumage is in Ibis 1903, Plate VI, other Figs. in Martens and Eck (1995, Plate 3).

Hellmayr (1929: 88) was probably the first to discern in melanolophus a representative of the Coal Tit ( Parus ater ). For Nepal Diesselhorst and Martens (1972) described a contact zone between melanolophus and “ aemodius ”, with interesting morphs close to melanolophus . The furthest­west representatives of aemodius, living in the Thakkhola, were described by Eck (1998) as P. ater martensi . This form interbreeds at the upper Myagdi Khola (south flank of the Dhaulagiri Mts.) with P. ater melanolophus ( Martens & Eck 1995: 331–332). The results of a study by Corbet (2004) likewise support the evaluation of melanolophus as a subspecies of P. a t e r. From the Chinese aemodius to the western melanolophus the wing length increases and the TWI decreases. The southern area of the Coal Tit is clearly disjunct, so that certain population groups (P 17–19) can be readily distinguished (see above), but all of these should remain together in one subspecies group, as opposed to melanolophus . The crest formation, yellow coloration, brown back or extent of the black colour on head and neck do not establish any sharp group boundaries. — Outside the Palaearctic, there are two subspecies in Fukien and on Taiwan.

P. ater , ater group

This subspecies group extends over the entire Palaearctic and comprises forms quite well differentiated in coloration and proportions (for rufipectus see above). P. ater abietum in central Europe must be acknowledged ( Eck 1984; Roselaar 1995; Corbet 2004).

P. ater hibernicus OGILVIE­GRANT, 1910 [ Ireland]; P. ater pinicolus CLANCEY, 1943 [Rothiemurchus Forest, Inverness­shire, N Scotland]; P. ater britannicus SHARPE & DRESSER, 1871 [loc. typ. restr. Avington, Hampshire]; P. ater vieirae NICHOLSON, 1906 [Coimbra, Portugal]; P. ater sardus KLEINSCHMIDT, 1903 [Arzana, Sardinia]; P. a t e r abietum C.L. BREHM, 1831 [mountainous conifer forests in Germany]; P. a t e r rufolateralis KEVE, 1943 [Bolu Dagh, Elemen Jaila/NW Turkey]; P. a t e r a t e r LINN., 1758 [according to Hartert Sweden]; P. ater rossosibiricus JOHANSEN, 1952 [Popovo village, 20 km SE of Kainsk, Baraba steppe]; P. ater amurensis (BUTURLIN, 1907) [Hartert: Amur and Ussuri]; P. ater insularis HELLMAYR, 1902 [Suruga­no­kumi, Honshu, Japan]; P. a t e r rufipectus SEWERTZOW, 1873 [Tian Shan]; P. ater pekinensis DAVID, 1870 [Peking]; P. ater aemodius BLYTH, 1844 [loc. typ. restr. E Nepal]; P. ater martensi ECK, 1998 [C Nepal, Chadziou Khola valley, Thakkhola, Mustang district].

P. a t e r, phaeonotus group

P. ater cypriotes DRESSER, 1888 [near Kikko monastery, Cyprus]; P. ater moltchanovi MENZBIER, 1903 [Yayly Mts., S Crimea]; P. ater michalowskii BOGDANOW, 1879 [Suram Pass, Kirshalevi, W Caucasus]; P. ater derjugini (Zarudny & Loudon, 1903) [“Tschoroch region in the Caucasus”]; P. ater gaddi (ZARUDNY, 1911) [“S Caspian region”, N Iran]; P. ater chorassanicus (ZARUDNY & BILKEWITSCH, 1911) [Khorasan and Transcaspia]; P. ater phaeonotus BLANFORD, 1873 [oak forests near Shiraz].

P. ater , ledouci group

P. ater atlas MEADE­WALDO, 1901 [Atlas Mts., 6000–8000 feet, Morocco]; P. a t e r ssp. [N Algeria, cf. Roselaar: In Cramp & Perrins 1993, 7: 224]; P. ater ledouci MALHERBE, 1845 [Bône, Algeria].

P. ater , melanolophus group

P. ater melanolophus VIGORS, 1831 [loc. typ. restr. Simla­Almora].

The population groups: P 15 northern group: hibernicus, pinicolus, britannicus, vieirae,

sardus, abietum, rufolateralis, ater , rossosibiricus, amurensis, insularis; Europe and Asia

Minor to Far East. – Fig. Quinn: Plate 21: a–e, in part.

* see under P 18. Wing length of abietum: 27 ♂♂ 60–65 mm, x = 63.0 mm ± 1.58; 18 ΨΨ 59–64 mm, x = 61.7 mm ± 1.60. For relative tail length of ater and abietum see E ck (1984: 84).

P 16 rufipectus; Tian Shan. — Fig. Martens & Eck 1995, Plate 3: b.

* Lacks pointed crest, relative length of feathers at back of head intermediate between the Coal Tits of Europe and C Asia, but relative tail length extreme. Wing length: 24 ♂♂ 60–67 mm, x = 62.8 mm ± 1.78; 10 ΨΨ 59.5–65 mm, x = 63.0 mm ± 1.62. — TWI of rufipectus: x = 79 % (n=34) vs 75 % e.g. in 34 Parus ater abietum (P 15). The WTI goes in the other direction: x = 19.5 % in rufipectus, x = 21.7 % in abietum.

P 17 cypriotes; Cyprus. — Fig. Quinn: Plate 21: 64i.

* Black very extensive on head and neck, back brown.

P 18 Southern group: derjugini, moltchanowi, michailowskii, gaddi, chorassanicus,

phaeonotus; Asia Minor to Middle East. — Fig. Quinn: Plate21: 64j (chorassanicus). * Coloration of upper side: in the north more grey­blue, in central and southern Europe more olive­green (P 15), in the southeast (P 18) more olive brown; flanks in the south more brown. In the south larger, for dimensions cf. Snow (1955), Roselaar (In: Cramp & Perrins 1993), Roselaar (1995).

P 19 atlas, ledouci; NW Africa. — Fig. Quinn: Plate21: 64g –h; Ibis 1903, Plate VI (atlas). * Extensive throat patch; the characteristic alarm call is also present in abietum (P 15) according to Löhrl, and depends on state of excitation. The atlas form is long­winged (up to 74 mm).

P 20 martensi, aemodius, pekinensis; Nepal to central China. — Figs. Martens & Eck

1995: Plate3: c–d (aemodius, martensi); Quinn: Plate 21: k–l (aemodius), f (pekinensis). * Forms with pointed crest, ventrally yellowish brown. — Colour intensity variable. Cf. Eck (1998 a) — Wing length of martensi: 12 ♂♂ x = 61.5 mm ± 1.72 — TWI, n= 18, x = 71.7 % ± 1.42 (cf. also under P 21). Wing length of aemodius ( Nepal, eastern martensi): 14 ♂♂ x = 60.9 mm ± 2.07; 3 ♂♂ from Sichuan measure 57, 58 and 60 mm. — TWI, n=16, x = 71.5 % ± 1.71; n=5 from Sichuan and SE Tibet x = 72.3 % ± 2.60.

P 21 melanolophus ; W Himalayas. — Figs. Martens & Eck: 1995: Plate3: f (g =

“cinnamon­breasts”); Quinn: Plate21: 63a–b (e = “cinnamon­breast”).

* Underside grey, rust­coloured flanks, pointed crest. In the east of the area so­called “cinnamon­breasts”, perhaps relicts of an extinct form (see Martens & Eck 1995: Plate 3: Figs. f, e) — Wings of 37 ♂♂ x = 63.2 mm ± 2.13; included here are 13 ♂♂ from outside Nepal with a wing length of x = 65.1 mm ± 1.73. Wing length of 28 ΨΨ x = 62.0 mm ± 1.74; included here are 14 ΨΨ from outside Nepal with x = 62.7 mm ± 1.86. – TWI, n=69, x = 69.5 % ± 1.63; n=7 hybrids between martensi and melanolophus : x = 70.9 % ± 2.00.