Coal Tit

Here we will describe the subspecies ater which occupies the western part of the continent. At first glance, the Coal Tit resembles the Coal Tit. A first examination, however, reveals the differences. It is already smaller. Its plumage is devoid of yellow (except in the juvenile whose white parts are tinged with yellow). The head is black with three white zones, two on the sides and one on the neck. The upper body is gray, slightly tinged with blue. Wings and tail are gray. On the wings, there are two white bars due to the white tips of the medium and large coverts. The underside of the body is whitish gray with the upper chest black in connection with the black throat and the under tail slightly lighter. The flanks are tinged with fawn. The sexes are almost identical. The male is distinguished by its brighter, brighter colors. His black chin is more consistent. The female is a bit drabber, with the beard less well marked. The juvenile is even duller than the female, with the head slightly obscured, the white tinged with yellow and an absence of blue tone on top. His beard is poorly defined. The yellow hue that invades the clear parts of its plumage will disappear with wear. All the other subspecies have the lower parts more reddish, even the ssp vieirae of the neighboring Iberian Peninsula which has the top without blue shade and the underside clearly more tinged with brown-red.