Tawny-capped Euphonia

Overview

The tawny-capped euphonia (Euphonia anneae) is a small, sexually dimorphic bird in the family Fringillidae, native to the Caribbean slopes of Central America. It is found in a disjunct range across Costa Rica, Panama, and extreme northwestern Colombia, and is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• A small bird, 10–11 cm long, with a thick bill and brown iris.
• Adult males have a rich rufous-chestnut crown contrasting with glossy blue-black heads, napes, and upperparts, and rich yellow underparts.
• Adult females have a dull rufous forehead, gray and olive upperparts, and buff to ochre underparts.
• Both sexes possess a dusky blackish bill with a grayish base and horn-gray legs.
• The song consists of harsh, nasal, and unmusical utterances such as repeated whee or nah-a-a-ak notes.

Habitat

This species inhabits the interior, edges, and clearings of tropical evergreen, montane, and secondary forests at elevations between 400 and 2,000 m depending on the location. It has a disjunct distribution across Caribbean slopes in northern Costa Rica, western Panama, and a small area of northwestern Colombia.

Diet

The tawny-capped euphonia feeds primarily on small fruits, supplemented with smaller amounts of insects. It forages mostly in pairs and small groups, often joining mixed-species feeding flocks within the mid-levels to the canopy, and sometimes down to the shrub layer in clearings.

Did you know?

The scientific name Euphonia anneae honours the wife of zoologist Daniel Giraud Elliot, a friend of the bird's original describer, John Cassin.