Masked tityra

Masked tityra
female
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Tityridae
Genus:	Tityra
Species:	T. semifasciata
Binomial name
Tityra semifasciata (Spix, 1825)

The masked tityra (Tityra semifasciata) is a medium-sized passerine bird. It has traditionally been placed in the cotinga or the tyrant flycatcher family, but evidence strongly suggests that it is better placed in Tityridae,^[2] where now placed by SACC.

It is found in forest and woodland from Mexico, through Central America, to northwestern and central South America (as far south as Paraguay).

Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in),^[3] it has a black-and-whitish plumage, and a distinct red eye-ring and base of the bill. The head is black in the male, while it is brownish or greyish in the female. The male resembles the black-tailed tityra, but can be separated by its smaller black face mask (does not include the nape) and white tail-tip.

Turrialba, Costa Rica

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Tityra semifasciata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. "Proposal (#313) to South American Classification Committee: Adopt the Family Tityridae". South American Classification Committee. 2007.
3. Garrigues, Richard; Dean, Robert (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca: Zona Tropical/Comstock/Cornell University Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-8014-7373-9.

External links

• Masked tityra videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
• Masked tityra photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Masked tityra species account at NeotropicalBirds (Cornell University)

• Interactive range map of Tityra semifasciata at IUCN Red List maps