PARIDAE

songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of the titmice and chickadees, about 64 species of small, gregarious birds, primarily of the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Members range in size from 7.5 to 20 cm (3 to 8 inches) long. They have short, stout, pointed bills, nostrils concealed by thick feathers, strong feet, and rounded wings. These active, curious birds are similar to crows in trainability. They feed chiefly on insects but eat fruit also. A popular American species is the black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus); in Europe there is the similar willow tit (P. montanus), immortalized by Gilbert and Sullivan. The long-tailed tits (Aegithalos and other genera) are sometimes given family rank as the Aegithalidae; and the penduline tits (Remiz and other genera) are sometimes similarly ranked as the Remizidae. They appear to be related to the crow-jay complex (family Corvidae). The Paridae belongs to the songbird suborder (Passeres).