Tawny-crowned greenlet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tawny-crowned greenlet |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Tunchiornis
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| Species: |
ochraceiceps
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| Synonyms | |
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Hylophilus ochraceiceps |
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The tawny-crowned greenlet (scientific name: Tunchiornis ochraceiceps) is a small, colorful bird. It belongs to the Vireonidae family, which includes many types of greenlets and vireos. This bird is special because it's the only species in its group, called Tunchiornis.
You can find the tawny-crowned greenlet in many countries across Central and South America. These include Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. It loves living in warm, wet places like subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
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About the Tawny-Crowned Greenlet
This bird gets its name from the yellowish-brown (tawny) color on its head. Greenlets are generally small birds, and the tawny-crowned greenlet is no exception. They are often hard to spot because they live high in the forest canopy. They blend in well with the green leaves.
Where They Live
The tawny-crowned greenlet lives in a wide range of countries. Its home stretches from southern Mexico all the way down to Bolivia and Brazil. It is found in places like Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. These birds prefer forests that are moist and low-lying.
Scientific Discovery and Naming
The tawny-crowned greenlet was first officially described in 1860. This was done by an English zoologist named Philip Sclater. He gave the bird its first scientific name, Hylophilus ochraceiceps.
How It Got Its Name
The name ochraceiceps comes from two Latin words. Ochraceus means "ochre-colored" or "yellowish-brown." -ceps means "-capped" or "headed." So, the name describes the bird's tawny-colored crown.
The bird was later placed in a new group, or genus, called Tunchiornis in 2014. This means it is the only species in that particular genus.
Different Types of Tawny-Crowned Greenlets
Scientists recognize ten different types, or subspecies, of the tawny-crowned greenlet. These subspecies look very similar but might have slight differences. They also live in different parts of the bird's large habitat.
- T. o. ochraceiceps (Sclater, PL, 1860) – Found in south Mexico, Belize, and northern Guatemala.
- T. o. pallidipectus (Ridgway, 1903) – Lives from southern Guatemala and Honduras to northwest Panama.
- T. o. pacificus (Parkes, 1991) – Found in southeast Costa Rica and western Panama.
- T. o. nelsoni (Todd, 1929) – Lives in eastern Panama.
- T. o. bulunensis (Hartert, E, 1902) – Found in the very east of Panama, western Colombia, and northwest Ecuador.
- T. o. ferrugineifrons (Sclater, PL, 1862) – Lives in southeast Colombia, southern Venezuela, west-central Guyana, northwest Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
- T. o. viridior (Todd, 1929) – Found in southern Peru and northern Bolivia.
- T. o. luteifrons (Sclater, PL, 1881) – Lives in eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil.
- T. o. lutescens (Snethlage, E, 1914) – Found in north-central Brazil, south of the Amazon River.
- T. o. rubrifrons (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1867) – Lives in northeast Brazil, south of the Amazon River.
