Sooty-capped chlorospingus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sooty-capped chlorospingus |
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Chlorospingus
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| Species: |
pileatus
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The sooty-capped chlorospingus (Chlorospingus pileatus) is a small bird. It's also known as the sooty-capped bush tanager. This bird is a type of passerine, which means it's a perching bird. It lives only in the high mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.
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Where It Lives
The sooty-capped chlorospingus makes its home in mossy mountain forests. It also lives in areas where new trees are growing after old ones were cut down. You can find it in bushy clearings nearby too. These birds usually live at high altitudes, from about 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) up to the treeline.
Building a Nest
These birds build a strong, cup-shaped nest. They often place it on a bank or hidden inside a thick bush. Sometimes, they build their nests high up in a tree, hidden among epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants). The nest can be as high as 11 meters (36 feet) off the ground. A normal clutch of eggs is two. The eggs are pink-brown with white markings.
What It Looks Like
The adult sooty-capped chlorospingus is about 13.5 centimeters (5.3 inches) long. It weighs around 20 grams (0.7 ounces).
Colors and Markings
This bird has a blackish head. It has a white stripe above its eye, which is called a supercilium. Its throat is grey. The upper part of its body is olive green, and its belly is yellow. The very bottom part of its belly is white. Some of these birds, especially in the Irazu-Turrialba area, look a bit different. They are greyer and don't have yellow on their bellies.
Young Birds
Young sooty-capped chlorospingus birds look a little different from the adults. Their heads are browner. Their undersides are duller in color. The stripe above their eye is also duller and has an olive tint. You can easily tell this bird apart from the common chlorospingus. The sooty-capped chlorospingus has a blacker head and a very clear white stripe above its eye.
What It Eats and How It Behaves
Sooty-capped chlorospingus birds often gather in small groups. They might also join larger groups of different bird species that are all looking for food together.
Food Choices
These birds love to eat insects and spiders. They also enjoy small fruits.
Sounds It Makes
The sooty-capped chlorospingus has a distinct call. It sounds like a high tseet tseet. Its song is a bit scratchy and sounds like seechur seechur see see seechur seechur. The song can have different variations too.
