| Grey-headed tanager | |
|---|---|
 | |
| AtManizales, Caldas, Colombia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thraupidae |
| Genus: | Eucometis Sclater, PL, 1856 |
| Species: | E. penicillata |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucometis penicillata (Spix, 1825) | |
 | |
Thegrey-headed tanager (Eucometis penicillata) is a widely distributed species of smallNeotropical bird in the tanager familyThraupidae. It is the only member of thegenusEucometis.
It is found in Central America and northern South America from Mexico to Brazil.Its naturalhabitats aresubtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropicalswamps, and heavily degraded former forest.
The grey-headed tanager wasformally described in 1825 by the German naturalistJohann Baptist von Spix under thebinomial nameTanagra penicillata.[2] Spix did not specify atype locality but this was later designated asFonte Boa in the Brazilian state ofAmazonas.[3] The grey-headed tanager is now the only species placed in thegenusEucometis that was introduced by the English zoologistPhilip Sclater in 1856.[3][4][5] The genus name is derived fromAncient Greekeukomēs meaning "with lovely hair". The specific epithetpenicillata is from theLatin diminutive ofpeniculus meaning "brush".[6]
Within theThraupidae, the grey-headed tanager is a member of thesubfamily Tachyphoninae and is thesister species to theblack-goggled tanager in themonospecific genusTrichothraupis.[7]
Sevensubspecies are recognised:[5]
