Blue Tit question

[christina]

Hi All

I have been looking through tha photo gallery and noticed that a blue tit has the name of "Cyanistes caeruleus" and "parus caeruleus". Is there a difference? Please excuse my ignorance.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by christina

Hi All

I have been looking through tha photo gallery and noticed that a blue tit has the name of "Cyanistes caeruleus" and "parus caeruleus". Is there a difference? Please excuse my ignorance.

Not ignorant at all. Just two names (one old, one new) for the same thing. This is due to a (relatively) recent name change. Research currently accepted shows that the Blue Tit is sufficiently different from the Great Tit for it to be placed in a separate genus. Hence the change from the old Parus, used for many years, to Cyanistes. Note I said "currently accepted". It is not impossible that further research will lead to further changes, possibly even putting Blue Tit back in Parus! If there were a lot more than 24 hours in a day I expect the mods would edit the names - but they have better things to do!

henrya

[christina]

Thank you Thunder for enlightening me...I shall now endeavour to remember the new name when posting Blue Tits.

Thanks again

Christina