The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute the Paridae, a family of small passerine birds which occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Many were formerly classified in the genus Parus.
Eurasian and African members of this family are referred to as "tits", while North American species are called either "chickadees" (onomatopoeic, derived from their distinctive "chick-a dee dee dee" alarm call)1 or "titmouses", the latter being an older name that was used for all tits. The name titmouse is recorded from the 14th century, composed of the Old English name for the bird, mase (Proto-Germanic *maison, Dutch mees, German Meise), and tit, denoting something small. The former spelling, "titmose", was influenced by mouse in the 16th century.2 Emigrants to New Zealand presumably identified some of the superficially similar birds of the genus Petroica of the family Petroicidae, the Australian robins, as members of the tit family, giving them the title tomtit, although, in fact, they are not related.
11 Comments
PixTupy@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 22h
Looks angry.
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 21h
It was nearly extinct. It has a right to be!
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 17h
"He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing."
desiccated_event@piefed.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 18h
BlackBorb
dharmacurious@slrpnk.net · 7 pts · 18h
Blackborb songing on the doid of noight
HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 19h
I wonder if it's bird of the year BECAUSE OF or DESPITE OF its near extinction.
I'm to tired to read article now & i'll look at it later.
spittingimage@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 8h
It's because it donated a kidney to Trevor.
HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5h
Fuckin-A GOOD ON YA BIRD.
kungen@feddit.nu · 4 pts · 18h
Imagine the memes if it was in the Paridae family.
otter@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 17h
TIL 😄
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tit_(bird)
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 9h
Nothing wrong with enjoying the sight of black tits