| Anthoscopus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Grey penduline tit, Anthoscopus caroli | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Remizidae |
| Genus: | Anthoscopus Cabanis, 1851 |
| Type species | |
| Sylvia minuta (Cape penduline tit) Shaw, 1812 | |
 | |
Anthoscopus is a genus ofbirds in the penduline tit familyRemizidae. The genus is restricted toSub-Saharan Africa, where it ranges from theSahel toSouth Africa. Unlike many of theEurasian penduline, these species are not generallymigratory, instead remaining close to their breeding sites year round. A wide range of habitats is occupied by the six species, from deserts to woodlands to rainforest.
Their pendulous and elaborately woven nests have false entrances above the true entrance, these in turn lead to a false chamber. The true nesting chamber is accessed by the parent opening a hidden flap, entering and then closing the flap shut again, the two sides sealing with sticky spider webs. These false entrances are used to confuse potential predators and protect the eggs and nestlings.[1]
The genusAnthoscopus was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologistJean Cabanis with theCape penduline tit as thetype species.[2][3] The genus name combines theAncient Greekanthos meaning "blossom" or "flower" withskopos meaning "searcher".[4]
The genus contains the following six species:[5]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sennar penduline tit | Anthoscopus punctifrons | Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Yellow penduline tit | Anthoscopus parvulus | Sudan (region) |
.jpg) | Mouse-colored penduline tit | Anthoscopus musculus | Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda |
| Forest penduline tit | Anthoscopus flavifrons | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria. | |
.jpg) | Grey penduline tit orAfrican penduline tit | Anthoscopus caroli | Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. |
.jpg) | Cape penduline tit orSouthern penduline tit | Anthoscopus minutus | Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. |
