White-shouldered Black-Tit Melaniparus guineensis Scientific name definitions

14 cm; 12·9–21 g. Large, dumpy, glossy black tit with short bill, pale eye, and large white patch on wing-coverts. Male has entire body and tail black (in fresh plumage, slight bluish gloss on upperparts to uppertail-coverts, and on neck side to breast), sometimes a short and untidy crest; tail slightly more sooty black, feathers glossed bluish-black on fringes, sometimes very narrow whitish fringe or tip on outermost two; lesser upper­wing-coverts black, tipped white, median and greater coverts contrastingly white (greaters with concealed dark shaft streaks) except for blackish outermost greater coverts; alula and primary coverts black, finely fringed or tipped white, flight-feathers blackish-brown, fringes of upper tertials glossy bluish, white on lowest tertial, secondaries broadly fringed white (forming, with that on wing-coverts, a broad white panel on closed wing), primaries narrowly fringed white or whitish; axillaries and underwing-coverts white; in worn plumage duller (less glossy) overall, and white in wing duller and abraded, with darker centres visible; iris mostly white to yellowish-white, sometimes pale buffish-brown; bill black; legs dark brown to bluish-grey or black. Distinguished from M. leucomelas by slight differences in glossy tinge and by pale eyes. Female differs from male only in having slightly smaller white patch in wing. Juvenile is as adult, but upperparts brownish-black, wings and tail sooty black, white on wing-coverts replaced by yellowish-white and often broader dark brown centres on outers (outermost greater coverts as adult), lowest tertial and edges of secondaries broadly yellowish-white and primary edges narrowly so, iris dull grey-green to brown, bill may have some yellowish-white at base.

S Senegal and S Mauritania E to S Sudan, South Sudan and SW Ethiopia, S to C Ivory Coast, SE Cameroon, N DRCongo, Uganda and extreme W Kenya.

Food includes small invertebrates and larvae, seeds and some fruit. Usually in pairs or in small groups (probably family parties) of up to eight individuals; also one of the main species in mixed-species foraging flocks in parts of W Africa. Active, and always on the move; generally shy. Forages in interior of middle level of trees, preferring to search trunk and branches rather than in foliage; may occasionally pursue and catch insects in flight.

Vocal; most frequent call a loud and rather harsh or rasping “churr” often introduced by 1–2 softer “chip” notes, also a nasal “dzwee, dzwee, dzwiu” or “ziu, dziu, dziu” repeated at intervals or when agitated or alarmed; other notes include thin “sisisi-pee” and harsh, grating “chut-chut”; calls very similar to those of M. leucomelas. Song a ringing series of whistles, “sree, tip-tu-wip, tu-wip, tu-wip, yu-wip” or variations, including “huwee-tee-huwee-tee-huweeh”, “swip-pedu-wip, ped-du-wip…” and “way-teetuwer-teetuwer”, “tee-tooyoo, tee-tooyoo, tee-tooyoo”.