{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{about|the European species|the crested tit species from southeast Asia, Lophophanes dichrous|grey-crested tit}} {{Expand language|topic=|langcode=Fr|otherarticle=Mésange huppée|date=May 2026}} {{speciesbox | image = Lophophanes cristatus - 01.jpg | image_caption = A crested tit in Spain | status = LC | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Lophophanes cristatus'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T22711810A87427182 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711810A87427182.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | status_system = IUCN3.1 | genus = Lophophanes | species = cristatus | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | range_map = LophophanesCristatusIUCN.svg | range_map_caption = Range of ''L. cristatus'' {{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}} | synonyms = ''Parus cristatus'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> }} thumb|right|Bird recorded in Scotland The '''crested tit''' or '''European crested tit''' ('''''Lophophanes cristatus''''') is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian Peninsula. In Great Britain, it is mainly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and rarely strays far from its haunts. A few vagrant crested tits have been seen in England. It is resident, and most individuals do not migrate.

==Taxonomy== The crested tit was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Parus cristatus''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=189 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727098 }}</ref> Linnaeus specified the type locality as Europe, but this was restricted to Sweden by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1905.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Kaup | first=Johann Jakob | author-link=Johann Jakob Kaup | year=1829 | title=Skizzirte Entwickelungs-Geschichte und natürliches System der europäischen Thierwelt | volume=c. 1 | language=German | location=Darmstadt | publisher=Carl Wilhelm Leske | page=92 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41576515 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Paynter | editor-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1986 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=12 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=96 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14482213 }}</ref> The crested tit is now placed together with grey-crested tit in the genus ''Lophophanes'' that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup.<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=August 2024 | title=Waxwings and their allies, tits & penduline tits | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waxwings/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=23 February 2025 }}</ref> The current genus name, ''Lophophanes'', is from the Ancient Greek ''lophos'', "crest", and ''phaino'', "to show". The specific ''cristatus'' is Latin for "crested".<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher= Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n122 122], 230}}</ref>

This species was formerly placed in ''Parus'', but the distinctness of ''Lophophanes'' is well supported,<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Gill | first1=F.B. | last2=Slikas | first2=B. | last3=Sheldon | first3=F.H. | date=2005 | title=Phylogeny of titmice (Paridae): II. Species relationships based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-''b'' gene | journal=The Auk | volume=122 | issue=1 | pages=121–143 | doi=10.1093/auk/122.1.121 | doi-access=free }}</ref> and it is now recognised by the American Ornithologists' Union and the British Ornithologists' Union as a distinct genus.<ref name= Sangster>{{cite journal | last= Sangster | first= George | author-link = George Sangster | author2= Collinson, J Martin| author3=Helbig, Andreas J| author4=Knox, Alan G| author5=Parkin, David T | year= 2005| title= Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: third report | journal= Ibis | volume= 147 | issue= 4 | pages = 821–826 | url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118644713/PDFSTART | doi =10.1111/j.1474-919X.2005.00483.x | doi-access= free }}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Seven subspecies are recognised:<ref name=ioc/> * ''L. c. scoticus'' Pražák, 1897 – central north Scotland * ''L. c. abadiei'' (Jouard, 1929) – west France * ''L. c. weigoldi'' (Tratz, 1914) – west, south Iberian Peninsula * ''L. c. cristatus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – north, east Europe to the Carpathian Mts. * ''L. c. baschkirikus'' Snigirewski, 1931 – southwest, central Ural Mountains * ''L. c. mitratus'' (Brehm, CL, 1831) – central Europe to northeast Spain, the Alps and north Balkans * ''L. c. bureschi'' (von Jordans, 1940) – Albania to Bulgaria and Greece

==Behaviour and ecology==

It is an easy tit to recognise, for besides its erectile crest, the tip of which is often recurved, its gorget and collar are distinctive. It is, like other tits, talkative, and birds keep up a constant ''zee, zee, zee'' {{audio|Lophophanes_cristatus.ogg|birdsong}}, similar to that of the coal tit.

It makes a nest in a hole in rotting stumps. This bird often feeds low down in trees, but although not shy, it is not always easily approached. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.

Like other tits, it is found in pairs and it feeds on insects (including caterpillars) and seeds.

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Lophophanes cristatus -Aviemore, Scotland-8.jpg|Crested tit, Aviemore, Scotland File:Lophophanes cristatus -Aviemore, Scotland-8 (1).jpg|Crested tit, Aviemore, Scotland File:Lophophanes cristatus Luc Viatour 5.jpg Lophophanes cristatus - 02.jpg|Crested tit, Cantalejo, Spain File:Parus cristatus MWNH 2285.JPG|Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden Lophophanes cristatus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.181.1.jpg|''Lophophanes cristatus'' - MHNT </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/tits-chickadees-paridae Crested tit videos, photos & sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection *[http://www.sr.se/p2/p2pippi/sounds/pip0201.ram Song of the crested tit]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (Real Audio soundfile from Sveriges Radio P2) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141202063319/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/391_CrestedTitPcristatus.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.3 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q207831}}

Category:Lophophanes Category:Birds of Europe Category:Birds described in 1758 Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus