These three tits almost certainly form a distinct lineage, as indicated by morphology, and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis (Gill et al., 2005).

Lore in the bird's common name refers to the area between eye and bill.

[2] This species is a resident breeder along the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent including Nepal.In Nepali, it is known as "Pandu Chichilkote".

It is an active and agile feeder, taking insects and spiders from the forest canopy, and sometimes fruit.

The Himalayan black-lored tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Machlolophus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.