Photo: Félix Uribe from Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Black-headed Tanager
Stilpnia cyanoptera
Black-headed Tanager (Stilpnia cyanoptera) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Black-headed Tanager (Stilpnia cyanoptera) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 21.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Stilpnia
- Species cyanoptera
Quick facts
- Weight
- 21.5 g
- Diet
- Fruit-eaters
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Black-headed Tanager is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Black-headed Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Black-headed Tanager (Stilpnia cyanoptera) is a member of the Thraupidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA n Colombia to n Venezuela.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 21.5 g, with a wing length of about 6.9 cm and a tail of around 5.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Black-headed Tanager?
The Black-headed Tanager is a small bird that weighs around 21.5 g.
Where does the Black-headed Tanager live?
The Black-headed Tanager is found across South America with a range covering SA n Colombia to n Venezuela, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Black-headed Tanager belong to?
The Black-headed Tanager (Stilpnia cyanoptera) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Black-headed Tanager eat?
The Black-headed Tanager is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Does the Black-headed Tanager migrate?
The Black-headed Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Black-headed Tanager endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Black-headed Tanager make?
1 real field recording of the Black-headed Tanager — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thraupidae
A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.