Grey-headed Tanager

Overview

The grey-headed tanager (Eucometis penicillata) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae that ranges across the New World tropics. It is the sole member of the genus Eucometis and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Measures 16 to 17 cm in length with a conical bill featuring a large rounded notch on the maxilla.
• Possesses an eponymous grey head and a crest of grey-tipped white feathers, which is usually raised only in agitation.
• Displays olive-yellow upperparts, bright yellow underparts with a white throat, and reddish-brown irises.
• Males produce geographically variable songs, ranging from rapid series of chatters and squeaks in Central America to musical notes in Brazil.

Habitat

Found in tropical lowland evergreen, gallery, river-edge, and secondary forests across Mexico, most of Central America, and mainland South America. The species favours várzea forest near water in the Amazon Basin and rainforests in Central America, typically occurring below 600 m but reaching up to 1,700 m.

Diet

Feeds primarily on a wide variety of insects, supplemented by small amounts of fruits and seeds. Foraging strategies include following army ant swarms and squirrel or capuchin monkeys to capture fleeing insects, or perching 5 to 15 m up to sally out for prey from leaves.

Did you know?

In Costa Rica, the grey-headed tanager has been observed following squirrel monkeys and capuchin monkeys specifically to capture insects fleeing the monkeys, mirroring its behaviour around army ants. The genus name Eucometis is derived from the Ancient Greek for 'with lovely hair', a reference to the bird's distinctive crested head.