NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dusky Tit
Melaniparus funereus J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Parus nigricinereus
John Gerrard Keulemans · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The dusky tit (Melaniparus funereus) is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest.
The dusky tit was formerly one of the many species placed in the genus Parus. It was moved to the resurrected genus Melaniparus based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013.
This bird has an unknown population size in the middle of Africa. The dusky tit is known for being almost entirely black with brownish or gray tones, depending on its sex. It is a relatively minor bird to a medium-sized bird; it may range from 13 to 15 cm depending on the sex. It is characterized by red eyes and a chirp that sounds like "dree di-di-di".
Wikipedia contributors, Dusky tit; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:44:55.722700+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melaniparus funereus J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855
- Name authority
- J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855
- Common name
- Dusky Tit
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Melaniparus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyParidae Vigors, 1825
- genusMelaniparus Bonaparte, 1850
- speciesMelaniparus funereus J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melaniparus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Grey TitMelaniparus afer (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ashy TitMelaniparus cinerascens (Vieillot, 1818) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Miombo TitMelaniparus griseiventris (Reichenow, 1882) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-shouldered Black TitMelaniparus guineensis (Shelley, 1900) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-winged Black TitMelaniparus leucomelas (Rüppell, 1840) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Black TitMelaniparus niger (Vieillot, 1818) | ParidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Parus funereus (J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855) (J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Verreaux, Jules Pierre, & and Jean Baptiste Édouard Verreaux. (1855). Oiseaux Nouveaux du Gabon. Journal Für Ornithologie, Vol. 3, No. 14. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:QV5SL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.