Melaniparus is a genus of birds in the tit family. The species were formerly placed in the speciose genus Parus but were moved to Melaniparus based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 that showed that the members formed a distinct clade.[2] The genus Melaniparus had originally been introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850.[3] The type species was subsequently designated as the southern black tit (Melaniparus niger).[4][5] The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek melas, melanos "black" and the genus Parus introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[6]
The following species, all from Africa and mostly having dark plumage, have been placed in the genus:[7]