Sultan Tit is an Indian bird that bears a scientific name "Melanochlora sultanea" belongs to the Melanochlora genus.
Size of Sultan Tit
Sultan Tit is a large songbird which is about 17 cm long, with a yellow crest, dark bill, black upperparts plumage and yellow underparts. The sexes are similar. The female has greenish black upperparts and yellowish throat. The young bird is duller than the adult and has a shorter crest. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanochlora, which is fairly distinct from the Parus Tits with the nearest relative being the monotypic Sylviparus.
Structure of Sultan Tit
The male Sultan Tit has the forehead and crown with the crest brilliant yellow; the whole upper plumage, sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and breast are deep black glossed with green, the edges of the feathers of the upper plumage has a metallic lustre, and the outermost tail-feathers tipped with white; lower plumage from the breast downwards is deep yellow, the thighs are barred or mottled with white. The recumbent crest is raised when the bird is alert or alarmed. The female has the yellow parts duller; the upper plumage and sides of the head dark greenish brown; the chin and throat glossed dark olive-green; wings and tail dull black; the feathers of the upper plumage edged with metallic green. The young resemble the female, but in the youngest stage the bright edges to the plumage of the upper parts are absent, and the greater wing-coverts are edged with white.
Forage of Sultan Tit
Sultan Tit forages in the mid and upper canopy singly or in small groups mainly and feed mainly on insects but sometimes feed on figs.
Call of Sultan Tit
The loud call of Sultan Tit is with short repeated and variable whistling notes that have a tit-like quality. The flight is slow and fluttery.
Bill of Sultan Tit
The bill of Sultan Tit is black. The mouth of Sultan Tit is dark fleshy; the eyelids grey; the iris dark brown; the legs are grey; the claws dark horn.
Length of Sultan Tit
The length of Sultan Tit is about 8 inches; the tail measures 3.8 inches; the wing 4.4 inches; the tarsus 0.95 inches; the bill from the gape 0.75 inches.
Concentration of Sultan Tit
Sultan Tit stays in the lower ranges of the Himalayas from Nepal to the head of the Assam valley, the Khasi hills, Cachar, Manipur, the Kakhyen hills east of Bhamo, Arrakan, the Pegu hills, Karennee, and Tenasserim. This species does not appear to be found above 4000 feet of elevation.
Distribution of Sultan Tit
Sultan Tit extends down the Malay Peninsula. It frequents the larger trees in small flocks. In some forest areas such as the Buxa Tiger Reserve, the density has been estimated at around 15 per square kilometre.
Breeding Season of Sultan Tit
The breeding season in India is from April to July and the clutch is of seven eggs laid inside a lined tree cavity. They feed on caterpillars and sometimes small berries.
