Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Sooty-capped Bush Tanager (Chlorospingus pileatus)
Sooty-capped Bush Tanager

Sooty-capped Bush Tanager

Chlorospingus pileatus

The Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, also known as the Sooty-capped Bush Tanager, is a diminutive passerine that boasts a modest length of 13.5 cm and a weight of a mere 20 grams. This bird is adorned with a blackish head, complemented by a striking white supercilium and a grey throat. Its upperparts are cloaked in an olive hue, while the underparts are a vibrant yellow, transitioning to white on the belly. A particular population near the Irazu-Turrialba region exhibits a greyer plumage with an absence of yellow on the underparts.

Identification Tips

To identify the adult Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, look for its darker head and pronounced supercilium, which set it apart from the common Chlorospingus. Immature birds present with a browner head, a less vivid olive-tinged supercilium, and a duller coloration below.

Habitat

This species thrives in the mossy mountain forests, secondary growth, and adjacent bushy clearings, typically found from 1600 meters altitude to regions above the timberline.

Distribution

The Sooty-capped Chlorospingus is an endemic resident breeder, gracing the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama with its presence.

Behaviour

These birds are sociable creatures, often seen in small groups or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock.

Song & Calls

The call of the Sooty-capped Chlorospingus is a high-pitched "tseet tseet," while its song is a scratchy "seechur seechur see see seechur seechur," with variations that add to the acoustic diversity of its habitat.

Breeding

The bulky cup nest of the Sooty-capped Chlorospingus is an architectural marvel, constructed on a bank, nestled in a dense bush, or ingeniously hidden amongst epiphytes up to 11 meters high in a tree. The normal clutch consists of two pink-brown eggs, delicately marked with white.

Diet and Feeding

A diet of insects, spiders, and small fruits sustains the Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, providing the necessary nutrients for its active lifestyle.

Conservation status

The Sooty-capped Chlorospingus is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating a stable population within its natural range.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Sooty-capped Bush Tanagers on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More New World Sparrows

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.