Sooty-capped bush-tanager

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:
sooty-capped bush-tanager (en); saíra-do-mato-de-sobrolho-branco (pt); chlorospin à sourcils brisés (fr); frutero copetón (es); weißbrauen-buschtangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Size:
These birds are 13,5-14 cm long and weigh 16-24 g.

Habitat:
The sooty-capped bush-tanager is mostly found in mossy, moist and wet mountain rainforests, and elfin forests, also using tall second growths and high-altitude scrublands. They occur at altitudes of 1.500-3.000 m.

Diet:
Sooty-capped bush-tanagers feed on small arthropods and fruits such as Miconia, Fuchsia, Rubus and several Ericaceae.

Breeding:
These birds breed in February-July and may show cooperative breeding, with several adults tending the same nest. The nest is a bulky cup placed in a dense scrub or hidden amongst epiphytes up to 11 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs with pink-brown markings. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status – LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively small breeding range, but is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.