First breeding record of the black‐headed penduline tit (Remiz macronyx) in China

Abstract

Penduline tits (Remiz) are small passerine species mainly distributed in Europe and Asia, which are famous for their elaborate nests and variable mating and parental care system (Bot et al., 2011;Persson & Öhrström, 1989). The black-headed penduline tit (R. macronyx) is the most variable and least-known member of this genus. It breeds in low-lying lakesides and riverbanks with stands of reeds (Phragmites) and reedmace (Typha) (Madge, 2020). Their nests are different from those of other penduline tit species, which are typically built between two reed stems in a reedbed but sometimes in a tree, depending on what is available (Bot & Van Dijk, 2009;Madge, 2020).The black-headed penduline tit is mainly distributed in Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan (Figure 1), where four subspecies are recognized, namely, macronyx, neglectus, nigricans, and ssaposhnikowi (Bot et al., 2011;Madge, 2020). The nominate subspecies (macronyx) occurs locally in reedbeds along rivers and lakes in southwestern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, northern and southeastern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and probably northeastern Afghanistan (Madge, 2020).The neglectus occurs along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran and southwestern Turkmenistan (Barani-Beiranvand & Aliabadian, 2012;Madge, 2020). Nigricans are distributed in southeastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan, but they are possibly extinct (Barani-Beiranvand & Aliabadian, 2012). The ssaposhnikowi is known to only occur around lakes (Balkhash, Sasykkol, Alakol, and