Tityra inquisitor
The Black-crowned Tityra (Tityra inquisitor) is a distinctive medium-sized passerine, measuring approximately 18-19.5 cm (7.1-7.7 in) in length and weighing 32-42 g (1.1-1.5 oz). Males are strikingly patterned with a glossy black crown, nape, back, and wings, contrasting sharply with pale grey underparts and a conspicuous bright red bill tipped black, framed by a crimson orbital ring, making it easily identifiable in the field. Females, by contrast, exhibit a more muted elegance, with a strea...
Found in humid lowland and montane forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, typically at elevations below 1000 meters, though occasionally ranging up to 1500 meters.
Primarily omnivorous, feeding on a mix of large insects (such as cicadas, beetles, caterpillars) and a variety of small to medium-sized fruits.
Black-crowned Tityras are diurnal birds, typically observed singly or in pairs, though they frequently join mixed-species foraging flocks in the mid to upper canopy. They employ a 'sally-glean' foraging strategy, perching upright on an exposed branch before launching short flights to snatch insec...
The Black-crowned Tityra boasts an extensive Neotropical distribution, spanning from southern Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas) south through Central America, encompassing countries like Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In South America, its range covers Colombia, ...
Least Concern
- The Black-crowned Tityra is famous for often nesting in tree cavities already occupied by active wasp nests, using the wasps as a natural defense against predators. - Despite its name, the genus *Tityra* was historically placed in the Cotingidae or Tyrannidae families before being reclassified ...