Appearance
The smallest of the grey "Melaniparus" tits of Africa, the acacia tit has a glossy blue-black cap, nape, throat and breast contrasting with a large buffy white patch which extends from the bill to the sides of the neck. There is a broad black band which stretches from the breast to the vent. The upperparts are grey with white panels in the wings and there is a white spot on the nape. The underparts are greyish white, broken by the black band. Legs and bill are slate grey. The females tend to have a narrower band than males. Juveniles are similar to the adults but are duller. It measures 11.5–12 cm in length and weighs 12 g.Naming
There are two currently recognised subspecies, they are:⤷ "Melaniparus thruppi thruppi" Shelley, 1885: Ethiopia and Somalia
⤷ "Melaniparus thruppi barakae" Jackson, 1899: south western Somalia to Kenya, Uganda and north eastern Tanzania.
Distribution
The acacia tit is found from Ethiopia and Somalia south to north eastern Tanzania.Habitat
The acacia tit inhabits arid and semi arid wooded and bushed savanna, principally in acacia and stands of trees along streams or rivers, avoiding truly arid regions. It is recorded up to 2,000 m in Somalia.References:
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