The fulvous-crested tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers.
Region
Amazon Basin and the Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across the Guiana Shield and northern Amazonia, including Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, northern Brazil, and the lowland forests of eastern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northern Bolivia. It favors humid tropical lowland rainforest, including terra firme and seasonally flooded (várzea) forests. Frequently uses forest edges, riverine corridors, and secondary growth where fruiting shrubs and trees are abundant. Typically forages from the understory to midstory, occasionally venturing into canopy gaps. It adapts reasonably well to lightly disturbed habitats so long as forest structure remains.
Altitude Range
0–1300 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The fulvous-crested tanager is a sexually dimorphic tanager: males are mostly black with a distinctive fulvous (buff-orange) crest that can be raised when excited, while females are duller and more olive-brown. It often joins mixed-species flocks in lowland rainforest, moving actively through the midstory. By consuming fruit, it helps disperse seeds within tropical forests.
Temperament
active but somewhat secretive in dense foliage
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between trees
Social Behavior
Often travels in pairs or small family groups and frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks. Pairs maintain small territories during the breeding season, with the male displaying the crest during courtship and territorial interactions. Nests are cup-shaped and placed in shrubs or low trees.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp chips and tks used for contact within flocks, along with short, simple whistles. The song is a modest series of clear notes and phrases, sometimes interspersed with harsher calls.
Plumage
Male glossy black with a short fulvous crest that can be erected; wings and tail uniformly dark. Female olive-brown above with paler, buffy underparts and a muted fulvous-toned crown; wings slightly duskier with subtle edging. Both sexes have a sturdy, slightly hooked bill.
Diet
Takes a varied diet of small fruits and berries complemented by insects and other arthropods. It gleans from leaves and twigs, probes clusters of foliage, and occasionally sallies to capture flying prey. At fruiting trees it may feed alongside other tanagers and manakins, helping disperse seeds across the forest.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the understory to midstory of humid lowland rainforest, especially along edges, light gaps, and river margins. Often visits fruiting shrubs and small trees in secondary forest and clearings. Joins mixed flocks moving through midlevel strata.
