See text 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).

[6] The following species, all from Africa and mostly having dark plumage, have been placed in the genus:[7]