Sittiparus
sit-TI-pa-rus
Genus
The nuthatch-like titmouse
Literally: nuthatch-titmouse
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| sitti- | a nuthatch (Sitta) | Greek (sitt, =a, -i) | combining form -i of sitta; the stem ends in -i, which doubles as the connecting vowel before parus |
| parus | a titmouse | Latin (=parus) | Latin noun, nominative singular masculine; used freely as a standalone generic element in bird nomenclature |
A compound noun used as a genus name, treated as Latin masculine (following parus). The Greek stem sitti- (from sitta, a nuthatch) is prefixed to the Latin noun parus (a titmouse), with the final -i of the Greek combining form serving as the linking vowel. The compound describes birds (titmice in the family Paridae) that bear a resemblance to nuthatches in behaviour or appearance. No epithet is present; this is a uninominal genus name.
Pronunciation
- sit-TI-pa-rus Four syllables: sit-ti-pa-rus. Penult 'pa' has a short vowel followed by a single consonant (r), so the penult is light; stress therefore falls on the antepenult 'ti'.
Other readings
sit- (Greek 'food') + -ti- + parus is theoretically parseable but makes no biological sense and is contradicted by the longer match sitti- 'nuthatch', which should be preferred.
The genus Sittiparus was split from Poecile (and ultimately from Parus) and contains the varied tit and allies; the name alludes to their nuthatch-like foraging behaviour. parus also appears in the dictionary under par, -i (Latin 'equal; a titmouse'), confirming the titmouse sense used here.