Rufous-headed Tanager

Overview

The rufous-headed tanager (Hemithraupis ruficapilla) is a small passerine bird belonging to the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to southeastern Brazil and is currently listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Approximately 13 cm long and weighing 11 to 13 g, with sexually dimorphic plumage.
• Adult males feature a rich reddish chestnut head with a large bright yellow crescent behind the ear coverts, olive-backed, and orange-rufous upper breast.
• Adult females are olive-green with a faint yellowish supercilium, yellow underparts, and greyish flanks.
• Both sexes possess a dark brown iris, a blackish-brown maxilla with a paler base, a mostly yellowish mandible, and dark grey legs and feet.
• Song is described as a very high, level, hurried series of 'sisi----' notes that slow down slightly at the end; call is a very high, dry 'zip'.

Habitat

Found only in southeastern Brazil, specifically in the Atlantic Forest biome. It inhabits somewhat open landscapes such as light woodlands, forest edges, secondary forests, plantations, and parks with a good number of trees. Its elevational range is cited variously as sea level to 1,500 m or up to 1,100 m.

Diet

Feeds mostly on small arthropods, supplemented by small amounts of fruit. It forages in pairs or families, often as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It is an active, restless forager that typically feeds in the upper levels of the forest.

Did you know?

The rufous-headed tanager and the guira tanager (H. guira) hybridise where their ranges overlap, confirming they are sister species that form a superspecies.