Eucometis penicillata
The Grey-headed Tanager (*Eucometis penicillata*) is a distinct medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 17-18 cm (6.7-7.1 inches) in length and weighing between 28-40 grams. Its most defining characteristic, from which it derives its name, is the prominent slate-grey head, often adorned with a shaggy crest, which strikingly contrasts with its olive-green back and bright to greenish-yellow underparts. The bill is robust and dusky, complementing its dark grey legs. This species exhibits min...
Primarily found in the understory and mid-story of humid lowland and foothill forests, including secondary growth, gallery forests, and forest edges, typically below 1200 meters elevation.
Feeds predominantly on insects, particularly those disturbed by army ant swarms, but also gleans caterpillars, beetles, and orthopterans from foliage, supplementing its diet with some fruits and seeds.
The Grey-headed Tanager is widely recognized for its specialized foraging strategy, frequently associating with army ant swarms to capture insects flushed by their activity. When not trailing ants, it forages solitarily or in pairs, diligently gleaning insects from foliage or occasionally sallyin...
The Grey-headed Tanager boasts an exceptionally wide distribution across the Neotropics, extending from southeastern Mexico (southern Veracruz and Chiapas) south through all of Central America, encompassing Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Its range continues robust...
Least Concern
- The Grey-headed Tanager is one of the most dedicated and consistent followers of army ant swarms in the Neotropics, relying heavily on them for food. - It is the sole species in its genus, *Eucometis*, making it a monotypic genus and highlighting its unique evolutionary lineage within the tanag...