Masked tityra

Masked tityra
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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, where it is now placed by the South American Classification Committee.

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), 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.

• 
  T. s. personata
  Copan, Honduras
• 
  T. s. costaricensis
  Turrialba, Costa Rica

Further reading

• Skutch, Alexander F. (1969). "Masked tityra" (PDF). Life Histories of Central American Birds III: Families Cotingidae, Pipridae, Formicariidae, Furnariidae, Dendrocolaptidae, and Picidae. Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 35. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp. 20–42.

External links

• "Masked tityra media". Internet Bird Collection.
• Masked tityra photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Masked tityra species account at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• Interactive range map of Tityra semifasciata at IUCN Red List maps

Media related to Tityra semifasciata at Wikimedia Commons