White-tailed Tityra
Tityra leucura
Rare and mysterious species long known only from a 19th century specimen, but more recently seen by a lucky few in southern Amazonian Brazil. Seems to prefer the canopy of tall, humid forest. Mostly white with a slightly grayer back, and black cap and wings. Compared to other tityra species, note white tail, shorter and smaller bill, and lack of any bare facial skin. Taxonomic affinities are uncertain, and shape and behavior seem closer to some becards than other tityras. Voice unknown.
Identification
The white-tailed tityra (Tityra leucura) is a medium-sized passerine bird about 19 cm long with pied plumage, mostly white or very pale grey, but with a black crown and wings. It is found in a small area of the Amazon rainforest near the Madeira River in the far west of Brazil close to the Peruvian border. It was first discovered in 1829 but the one specimen collected then, an immature male, sat forgotten in the Natural History Museum, Vienna until 1868, when August von Pelzeln concluded it represented an undescribed species. For many decades after that, no further individuals were seen; its close similarity to the widespread black-crowned tityra resulted in its being widely considered an aberrant specimen of that. Very recently however, further live male individuals were seen and later photographed in the same region in 2006 and 2022 respectively; re-evaluation based on these new sightings resulted in the conclusion that Pelzeln was correct in his decision to name it as a distinct species. It differs from black-crowned tityra in having a white, not black, tail.
Taxonomy
Genus: Tityra; Family: Tityridae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Tityra leucura
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tityridae
- Genus
- Tityra
Photos
Distribution
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