Titmouse
| Titmice | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Baeolophus bicolor | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paridae |
| Genus: |
Baeolophus Cabanis, 1850 |
Baeolophus is a genus of birds in the family Paridae. Its members are commonly known as titmice. All the species are native to North America. In the past, most authorities retained Baeolophus as a subgenus within the genus Parus, but treatment as a distinct genus, initiated by the American Ornithologists Union, is now widely accepted.
The plural of titmouse is a subject of much discussion among ornithologists. Most use titmice, but some insist on titmouses. The reason for this debate is simple.
In virtually all other animals with compound names, the modifier forms the first part of the name and the descriptor forms the last part. Consider horse fly (a fly around horses), catfish (a fish with cat-like feelers), or sparrow hawk (a hawk that eats sparrows). This bird is a tit (bird of the family Paridae) that scurries like a mouse, not a mouse with features of a tit, so the name should be mousetit, in which case the plural would be mousetits. But the common name given this bird is titmouse, leading to confusion over plurals, titmice or titmouses.
The genus contains the five species:
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