The tit-like dacnis (Xenodacnis parina) is a small neotropical passerine bird found in southern Ecuador and Peru. In Spanish, it is known as Azulito Altoandino. It is found in Andean montane scrub forests from 3000 m to 4600 m elevation.
Adults reach 12.5 cm in length. Males are solid deep blue with dark eyes, bill, and feet. Females of all subspecies are duller, with rufous-brown underparts.
The tit-like dacnis was formally described in 1873 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis from a specimen collected in the Andes of central Peru. Cabanis introduced the genus Xenodacnis and coined the binomial name Xenodacnis parina.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek xenos meaning "different" or "unusual" with the genus name Dacnis. The specific epithet parina is from Modern Latin and means "tit like".[4] The tit-like dacnis is sister to a clade containing the four species now placed in the genus Idiopsar.[5][6]
Three subspecies are recognised:[6]
Clements, James F., and Noam Shany. A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru. Ibis Publishing, 2001.
The tit-like dacnis (Xenodacnis parina) is a small neotropical passerine bird found in southern Ecuador and Peru. In Spanish, it is known as Azulito Altoandino. It is found in Andean montane scrub forests from 3000 m to 4600 m elevation.
Adults reach 12.5 cm in length. Males are solid deep blue with dark eyes, bill, and feet. Females of all subspecies are duller, with rufous-brown underparts.
