The rufous-headed tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
Region
Atlantic Forest of eastern and southeastern Brazil
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid evergreen and semideciduous forests, favoring the mid to upper canopy. It uses primary forest but also forages along edges and in well-vegetated secondary growth. The species can persist in mosaics of forest fragments where canopy connectivity remains. It is most frequently encountered in mixed-species flocks moving through the canopy.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small tanager is endemic to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and often joins mixed-species flocks high in the canopy. Males show a distinctive rufous head, while females are more subdued and olive-toned. Its slender bill is adapted for gleaning small insects from foliage and twigs. Habitat loss in the Atlantic Forest affects local populations, so it benefits from protected forest fragments.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Commonly travels in pairs or small groups and regularly joins mixed-species canopy flocks. Nests are small cups placed on slender branches, with both parents participating in care. Courtship involves soft calls and close-following behavior through the canopy.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of thin, high-pitched chips and lisping notes delivered from the canopy. Calls include sharp tsit and soft tsee elements, often given while moving with mixed flocks.
Plumage
Male with rich rufous head and throat, olive-green upperparts, and yellow to yellow-olive underparts; wings and tail darker with greenish edges. Female is duller, mostly olive-green with a buffy or pale face and faint rufous wash on the head. Both sexes have fine, sleek plumage suited to canopy foraging.
Diet
Primarily gleans small insects and other arthropods from leaves, flowers, and fine twigs. It occasionally sallies short distances to catch flying prey. Small fruits and nectar may supplement the diet, especially when insect availability is lower.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mainly in the mid to upper canopy of humid forest, often along edges and gaps where foliage is dense. Frequently forages while moving with mixed-species flocks, exploiting disturbed and secondary growth with sufficient canopy cover.
