Parus xanthogenys
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Himalayan black-lored tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys), also known as simply black-lored tit, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The yellow-cheeked tit is probably its closest relative, and it may also be related to the yellow tit. These three tits almost certainly form a distinct lineage, as indicated by morphology, and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis (Gill et al., 2005).
Lore in the bird's common name refers to the area between eye and bill. This species is a resident breeder along the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent including Nepal. In Nepali, it is known as "Pandu Chichilkote". It is an active and agile feeder, taking insects and spiders from the forest canopy, and sometimes fruit.
It uses woodpecker or barbet holes for nesting, and will also excavate its own hole or use man-made sites. The Himalayan black-lored tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Machlolophus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.
Gill, Frank B.; Slikas, Beth & Sheldon, Frederick H. (2005): "Phylogeny of titmice (Paridae): II. Species relationships... Wikipedia →
Recording0:32
India · 2023
© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording2:14
India · 2025
© Sagnik Dutta Roy · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Black-lored Tit sighting in Kathmandu on a given day, based on 815 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 312 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Black-lored Tit in Kathmandu on a given day, against about 10% in January, July–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Kathmandu's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 280 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Himalayan Black-lored Tit sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Himalayan Black-lored Tit sightings, Kathmandu has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Dehradun (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Himalayan Black-lored Tit is recorded against all the birds logged in Kathmandu (815 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
