Black-headed saltator


The black-headed saltator is a seed-eating bird. Traditionally placed in the cardinal family, it seems to be closer to the tanagers. It breeds from central Mexico to eastern Panama.
The genus Saltator is apparently polyphyletic. Somewhat similar in coloration to the buff-throated saltator, the genus' type species resembles the probably well distant black-throated saltator or even the golden-billed saltator in other aspects.
This bird is on average long and weighs. The adult has a slate-grey head with a whitish supercilium. The upperparts are yellowish green, the underparts are pale grey, and the throat is white edged with black. The thick convex bill is black and the legs are brown. Young birds are duller and have mottling on the breast and brown markings on the underparts. This species is similar to the buff-throated saltator but is larger and has a darker head and paler under parts with a yellow patch on the throat.
The common call is a raucous. The song is a loud scratchy cher cher jur jur weeee, often given by males as a duet.
The black-headed saltator is a species of dense vegetation. The black-headed saltator feeds on fruit, buds, nectar, and slow-moving insects. It forages at low and mid levels, sometimes with mixed species flocks.
The two black-marked pale blue eggs per clutch measure some long by about wide and weigh about each. They are laid in a bulky grass-lined cup nest up to high in a thicket between April and July.

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