Black-tailed Tityra

Is a robust, medium-sized suboscine passerine measuring between 20 and 22 cm in total length and exhibiting a body mass ranging from 60 to 75 g. The species displays marked sexual dimorphism in plumage coloration while sharing distinctive bare facial skin and bill morphology. The adult male features clean pearl-gray to whitish upperparts and underparts, contrasted starkly by a solid, glossy black cap extending from the bill base over the crown to the nape. The wings are mostly black with narrow grayish margins on the flight feathers, and the tail is short and completely black. In contrast, the female exhibits grayish-brown upperparts that are heavily streaked with dark brown to blackish striations across the crown, mantle, chest, and flanks, fading into a cleaner whitish lower abdomen and rump. Both sexes possess a bare, unfeathered orbital patch of vivid crimson-red skin, which directly merges with the basal two-thirds of a stout, heavy bill that terminates in a sharply hooked, contrasting black tip.

Geographical distribution: Occurs broadly across cis-Andean South America, maintaining a vast continuous range east of the Andes mountain range. It is widely distributed across the Orinoco river basin in Venezuela and the Guianas, extending through the entire Amazon basin across southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern and eastern Bolivia, and extensive sectors of Brazil. Furthermore, its range descends southwards through the Cerrado and the Pantanal, penetrating into eastern Paraguay and the subtropical humid forests of northeastern Argentina, particularly in the Misiones province and along the riparian corridors of Corrientes.

Habitat: Inhabits the canopy and subcanopy of humid lowland evergreen forests, riverine gallery forests, flooded várzea woodlands, and tall secondary growth. It frequently colonizes forest borders, clearings with preserved emergent trees, and shaded agroforestry mosaics. The presence of tall, dead snags protruding above the canopy layer represents a critical habitat requirement, providing necessary sentinel perches and potential cavity sites essential for its daily activities.

Feeding: Maintains an omnivorous foraging strategy dominated by the consumption of fruits and large arthropods. It feeds heavily upon various canopy drupes, berries, and arillate seeds, frequently visiting fruiting trees belonging to the Cecropiaceae, Moraceae, and Burseraceae families. Animal prey items are incorporated regularly into its energetic budget and include sizable cicadas, caterpillars, katydids, stick insects, and wood-boring beetles. Infrequently, small arboreal vertebrates such as treefrogs or geckos are captured. Foraging takes place primarily within the upper forest strata through gleaning and brief aerial sally-strikes directed at exposed foliage and branch surfaces.

Behavior: Typically encountered in mated pairs, territorial duos, or small family parties that stay coordinated through low, gruff vocal signals. Individuals spend extended intervals perched motionless atop prominent dry snags or exposed dead limbs, scanning their surroundings with exceptional vigilance. Its vocal repertoire is unmistakably mechanical and guttural, consisting of dry, frog-like grunts, raspy buzzes, and low croaks transcribed as an abrasive k-k-k-k-re-e-e-k. Flight between distant emergent trees is fast, direct, and slightly bounding, propelled by deep wingbeats alternating with brief closures before plunging into dense vegetation.

Nesting: Breeds obligatorily in preexisting elevated cavities situated between 8 and 25 m above ground level. It commonly selects old nesting chambers excavated by large woodpeckers (Campephilus or Dryocopus species) or natural decay hollows found in dead tree trunks and rotting palm stubs. Cavity inspection and furnishing are undertaken largely by the female, who lines the bottom with dry plant fibers, petioles, and brittle fallen leaves carried to the site in her bill. The normal clutch contains 2 to 3 eggs, which present an off-white to buff ground color heavily marked with dark chocolate-brown and grayish-purple speckles. Incubation is performed exclusively by the female for a duration of 18 to 21 days, during which the male stays stationed nearby on an emergent branch acting as a vigilant guard against potential nest competitors and predators. Following hatching, both parents actively transport food to the cavity, providing a protein-rich diet of arthropods until the nestlings fledge successfully after a nestling period of 21 to 28 days.

Conservation status: Is currently evaluated and classified as Least Concern (LC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This status is supported by the species’ exceptionally broad geographic distribution encompassing millions of square kilometers across South America and a very large overall population. While localized population declines inevitably take place due to clear-cutting, agricultural conversion, and the systematic loss of large, cavity-bearing hollow trees in portions of the Atlantic Forest and along the southern Amazonian deforestation arc, the species displays moderate adaptability to semi-open landscapes and fragmented canopy edges, preventing it from meeting the vulnerability criteria for threatened categories globally.