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Sennar Penduline-Tit Anthoscopus punctifrons Scientific name definitions

Steve Madge
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2008

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

7·5–8·5 cm; c. 6–8 g. Tiny unmarked olive-and-whitish passerine with small, conical, sharply pointed bill; legs quite strong, tibia short. Forehead and forecrown are yellow, variably freckled dusky, a relatively weak yellowish supercilium merges with yellow of forecrown; dull greyish stripe through eye, darker and more conspicuous on lores; crown and upperparts pale olive-green, greyer-tinged on mantle, scapulars and uppertail-coverts; upperwing and tail dull brown, all feathers fringed with olive-yellow, except for greyish-buff on primaries and primary coverts; side of neck and lower ear-coverts buffy whitish; chin and throat off-white, becoming washed with buff from breast to undertail-coverts; in worn plumage, may become drab greyish above as greenish feather edges abrade; iris light brown or blackish-brown; bill blackish, becoming paler towards base and on cutting edges; legs slate-grey or blue-grey. Differs from A. musculus mainly in having green tones in plumage, much stronger spotting on forehead; from A. parvulus in duller general appearance, lacking obvious bright yellow. Sexes similar. Juvenile is duller than adult, more greyish (less olive) in tone above, but usually with hint of yellowish on forehead.

Systematics History

Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Extreme S Mauritania and NE Senegal E in Sahel zone to S Mali and N Burkina Faso, S Niger, extreme NE Nigeria, C Chad, extreme N Cameroon, C & SE Sudan, NE South Sudan and W Eritrea.

Habitat

Semi-desert or desert-steppe with scattered scrub and larger trees and bushes in wadis; favours presence of water, hence especially fond of larger trees near bore holes, wells, etc. In Eritrea, at least, usually found below 1075 m.

Movement

Apparently sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

No information on diet; birds foraging in acacia (Acacia) canopy appeared to be searching for insects. Forages actively, usually in parties of three individuals, keeping in contact with constant calling. Basic behaviour seems to differ little from that of congeners.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Variety of thin, high-pitched notes, e.g. “seewi-seewi-seewi…” or more buzzy “dzzeewi-dzzeewi-dzzeewi…”, repeated 6–9 times, often accompanied by a prolonged rattle from a second individual; abrupt “tsit” also reported, as well as a churring “whut-chrrrrrrrrr” and harsh “tchuwhree-whree”.

Breeding

Very little known. Breeding season Jun–Sept in Mauritania, Jun–Aug in Senegal, Jul–Aug in Mali, Jul in Nigeria, Jul–Sept in Chad, Feb–Mar and Sept in Sudan, and possibly May in Eritrea. Several nests found, but none well documented; nest described as being very similar to that of Remiz pendulinus and rather large for such a small bird. Nest in Chad on 23rd Sept held two juveniles almost ready to fledge. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Locally common. Despite scant knowledge of its breeding habits, this species seems to be locally numerous, although evidently shunning large expanses of suitable habitat. Abundant along R Senegal and a little to N in S Mauritania and N Senegal, and widespread and locally abundant in wooded country by water-holes and lakes in S Mali. No recent records from Niger; in Nigeria known only from extreme NE in vicinity of L Chad, and similarly in Cameroon recorded only in L Chad area and in Waza National Park, both in extreme N. In Chad quite common in the Sahel and soudanian savannas across centre of country, and in Sudan widely reported across Darfur and along Blue Nile and White Nile; no records from Ethiopia, but in Eritrea an uncommon and little-known species in W of the country.
Distribution of the Sennar Penduline-Tit - Range Map
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  • Migration
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Distribution of the Sennar Penduline-Tit

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Madge, S. (2020). Sennar Penduline-Tit (Anthoscopus punctifrons), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.septit1.01
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