Meet Sultan Titus in the Wild: The eldest member of the family; striking black and yellow, with a long soft bright yellow (or black) crest, long tail, and graduated ѕɩіɡһtɩу. The male’s nominated racial image has a bright sulfur yellow head, crown and crest;

Editor’s Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the ‘Subspecies’ article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Edges of lowland and submontane (also lower montane) deciduous, mixed deciduous and evergreen forests, also light forest with bamboo, secondary growth, scrub and edges of cultivation. Breeds mostly below 1220 m in SC China, but occurs to 1370 m in Nepal, 1900 m in Sikkim, 1600m in Arunachal Pradesh, at 200–2000 m in Bhutan, to 1680 m in N Myanmar, 1000 m in Thailand and 1220 m in (but to 1500 m in Cameron Highlands); in C Vietnam, rare below 200 m and frequent at c. 1400 m.

Resident, with some short-distance dispersal; in NE India, non-breeding visitor in foothills in Nameri National Park, in W Assam.

Diet chiefly small invertebrates and larvae, principally grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), mantises (Mantidae) and spiders (Araneae); also some, mainly berries, also seeds. Usually in pairs and in family groups of up to twelve individuals; also in mixed-species foraging flocks with sibias and other small babblers (Timaliidae usually in foliage of upper and canopy levels of trees, when often inconspicuous, but also sits in the open on tops of trees; occasionally also in middle levels or tops of taller undergrowth and bamboo. Active and somewhat acrobatic in foraging motions, but rather more lethargic than other parids, and movements often rather stiff. Flits between branches, and agile when in flight through forest, but in open areas flight fairly fast and bounding. Gleans items from substrate; also hovers briefly on outside of foliage, and occasionally catches insects in flight.

Generally fairly vocal  include flat but stony or rattling “chi-dip, tri-trip” or similar metallic “tji-jup”, also a harsh and explosive “krssh-krssh” or slightly longer “krsshup-krsshup”, and a faster and shrill whistled “tria-tria-tria” or “tcheery-tcheery-tcheery”, usually with rising pitch, or harsher “squear-squear-squear”; also utters short and squeaky “whit” or “quit” and louder and ringing “weet”, “vheet” or “zeeent-zeeent”. Song a series of up to 5 loud, clear and ringing “chew” or “kree” or “piu” whistles, frequently repeated, also as more squeaky “pree-yit, pree-yit, pree-yit”, strident but downslurred “fyu-fyu-fyu-fyu” and rapid, shrill “chit-ter-der chit-ter-der”, likewise repeated several times.

Poorly known. Season Mar–Jul. Few nests described, composed mostly of grass, green moss, plant down and fibres, leaves and animal hair, placed up to 15 m above ground in hole, crevice or cavity in tree. Clutch 5–7 eggs. No other information.

Not globally threatened . Fairly common in Bhutan and E Himalayas, and rare in W Himalayas, Nepal and Sikkim; local and uncommon in S China, and on Hainan recorded from only four forest sites; locally common to uncommon in Thailand, and fairly common in C Vietnam; uncommon or scarce throughout most of Myanmar, but locally common in Kachin Hills. Formerly occurred in Bangladesh, but no recent records. Status in Sumatra uncertain, although race flavocristata apparently described from there; possibly a rare resident, but known only from a single record of a small party in forest canopy at 100 m in Utara in 1938; 19th-century reports from Sumatra not verifiable, as specimens apparently lost. Population decline recorded in W Himalayas and N India considered directly attributable to habitat destruction.