Southern Black Tit

The southern black tit or simply black tit (Melaniparus niger) is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae, which is native to woodland habitats in southern Africa. == Subspecies == Three subspecies are recognized: Melaniparus niger niger – southernmost Mozambique to Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Melaniparus niger xanthostomus – southern Angola to northern Namibia, northern Botswana, northwestern Zimbabwe, southern Zambia and southern Tanzania Melaniparus niger ravidus – eastern Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, eastern Botswana and northern South Africa == Range and habitat == It occurs chiefly in tropical and subtropical savanna woodland, in a semicircular arc from Angola to the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It prefers woodland dominated by broad-leaved trees, most importantly miombo, Combretum species, and Burkea africana. It is especially common in the woodlands of western Zimbabwe, where densities can reach as high as fifty birds per square kilometre. == Description == The southern black tit, unlike parids of the Northern Hemisphere or other local species, is almost entirely monotone in colour and sexually somewhat dimorphic, with the female being greyish and the male very distinctly blue-black in colour. It can be distinguished from the white-winged tit and Carp's tit by having no white rim…