Black-tailed Tityra

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Tityra cayana
  • Spanish Name: Titira colinegra
  • Family: Tityridae
  • Known Nicknames: Black-tailed Tityra, Crested Tityra
  • Average Length: 20–22 cm / 8–8.7 in
  • Average Weight: 50–70 g / 1.8–2.5 oz
  • Wingspan: 28–33 cm / 11–13 in
  • Key Feature: Black tail with white body and reddish orbital skin
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore, also insectivore
  • Range: South America east of the Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina
  • Habitat: Tropical lowland forest canopy, forest edges, and clearings
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Tree cavities, often abandoned woodpecker holes
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The Black-tailed Tityra (*Tityra cayana*) is a striking, medium-sized passerine bird found in the lowland forests and woodlands of South America, east of the Andes. Its most unique characteristic is a stark, almost clown-like contrast in plumage: the male is predominantly glossy white with a jet-black tail, black flight feathers, and a distinctive black mask encircling the eyes, while the female is more subdued with brownish-gray upperparts and a pale face. A special feature is its stout, bright red-orange bill and a fleshy, bare red ring around the eye, which gives it a vivid, expressive face. Despite its bold appearance, this tityra is often seen perched conspicuously on dead branches or in the canopy, where it sallies out to catch large insects and fruits, and it is notable for its habit of nesting in abandoned woodpecker or barbet holes.

Fun Facts

Despite its striking black-and-white plumage, the black-tailed tityra has a bizarre habit of nesting in the abandoned holes of woodpeckers, puffbirds, or even termite mounds, where it often lines the cavity with fresh green leaves—a behavior thought to repel parasites or mask the scent of chicks from predators. It also possesses a uniquely hooked, thick bill that it uses to snatch large insects and fruits mid-flight, and it frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks in the canopy, acting as a noisy sentinel. One quirky trait: both males and females engage in a mutual “bill-wiping” display after feeding, vigorously rubbing their beaks against branches as if to clean them, which may double as a social bonding ritual.

Habitats & Distribution

The Black-tailed Tityra inhabits tropical and subtropical lowland forests, including both terra firme and seasonally flooded forests, as well as forest edges, clearings with scattered trees, and secondary growth. It is also frequently found in plantations, such as cacao and citrus groves, and in gallery forests along rivers. Its geographical range spans a broad area of South America east of the Andes, from Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas south through much of Brazil, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and into northern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. It is generally absent from the Amazonian interior and higher elevations, preferring elevations below 1,000 meters.

Behaviours & Reproduction

Black-tailed Tityras are generally observed in pairs or small family groups, maintaining a monogamous social structure during the breeding season. Their courtship involves mutual preening and the male performing short, fluttering flights while calling to the female. They are cavity nesters, often reusing abandoned woodpecker holes or natural tree hollows, which provides a unique reproductive strategy by reducing nest-building energy costs. The female lays a clutch of two to three eggs, and both parents share incubation duties for approximately 17–19 days. After hatching, the chicks are fed by both adults and fledge around 18–21 days later, though the family often remains together for several weeks post-fledging.

Diet

The Black-tailed Tityra is primarily a frugivore, with fruits—especially berries and small, soft fruits like those from palms and figs—making up the vast majority of its diet. An interesting aspect of its feeding behavior is that it often forages in the canopy, plucking fruit while hovering briefly or hanging upside down from slender branches, a skill that allows it to access food other birds cannot. Unlike many fruit-eating birds, it is also known to occasionally supplement its meals with large insects, such as beetles and caterpillars, which it snatches in mid-air or gleans from foliage. Remarkably, this species is an important seed disperser in its Neotropical forest habitat, as it swallows fruits whole and passes the seeds intact through its digestive system, aiding forest regeneration.

Colors

The male Black-tailed Tityra is mostly glossy white with a black tail, black flight feathers, a black mask around the eyes, and a black bill; the female is duller with gray-brown upperparts, brown wings, and a pale, streaked or mottled face and throat. A unique feature is the bare, bright red-orange ring of skin around the eye (the orbital ring), which contrasts starkly with the white face. This species lacks cryptic camouflage, instead relying on its bold contrast to signal identity in the canopy.