Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Todirostrum nigriceps
The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum nigriceps) is a uncommon tyrant flycatcher found in 7 countries, weighing about 7 g. The black-headed tody-flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae.










About the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
The black-headed tody-flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a small, black and yellow, insectivorous bird.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The black-headed tody flycatcher is a small bird with a glossy black head and a white throat. The black coloring continues down the sides of the neck. It has bright yellow underparts and olive-yellow upperparts. The wings are black with two yellow wingbars and yellow streaking and the tail is short and black. Its head is relatively large, as is its straight black bill. It has dark irises and no eye-rings. Its legs are blueish-gray. The females and males have the same coloring. Adults are between 8–10.2 cm long and weigh 6–6.5 g. Voice: This species' call is a single high-pitched "peep". Its song is a series of 5 to 8 high-pitched "jyip" notes that are quickly repeated. They start evenly spaced and accelerate slightly at the end, increasing in pitch slightly. It often calls repeatedly, which can be easily confused with their song. The chirps also sound insect-like. Listen to the call Listen to the song
What the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Honduras.
When to see it
The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher?
- The black-headed tody flycatcher is a small bird with a glossy black head and a white throat. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher?
- The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher is a tiny sized bird weighing about 7 g.
- Where can you see a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher?
- The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher occurs in 7 countries, including Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
- What does a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher?
- The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher is most easily confused with the Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, the Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher and the Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher.
- Is the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher endangered?
- The Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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