White-capped tanager

White-capped tanager
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Sericossypha
Lesson, 1844
Species:
S. albocristata
Binomial name
Sericossypha albocristata
(Lafresnaye, 1843)

The white-capped tanager (Sericossypha albocristata) is a South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Sericossypha. It is the heaviest but not the longest species of tanager, at a weight of 114 g (4 oz) and a length of 24 cm (9.5 in). This species is glossy black overall with a large white crown and a red throat (which is brightest in adult males). It occurs in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru at elevations of 16003200 m. It lives in humid Andean forest in groups of up to 20 individuals. Flocks of these tanagers stay in tight formation, often foraging from tree to tree together. They may eat fruits, seeds, hymenoptera, and coleoptera.