Black-headed Saltator

How to find it

Look in thickets and forest edges, where it forages at low and middle levels. Listen first, because the loud, harsh calls are the usual giveaway for a bird that stays inside dense vegetation. Scan any mixed-species flock, since it sometimes joins them, and look for parties of 3 to 10 birds. Feeders and fruit are worth watching too: one bird was recorded eating banana near Turrialba. One Arenal-region description calls it uncommon and shy, so patience helps.

How to recognise it

Adults have a slate-grey head with a pale eyebrow stripe, a thick black bill and brown legs. They measure about 24 cm long.

Size is the easiest clue in Costa Rica. Of our saltators this is the largest, about as big as a large thrush or a jay and much larger than the others. A Costa Rica guide calls it a hefty bird.

Compared with the Buff-throated Saltator it has:

- a darker head

- paler underparts

- a yellow patch on the throat

Those last three details come from descriptions of the species across its whole range, so check them against the bird in front of you.

What it sounds like

Recording: cuihenggang, CC0 1.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This is a shy bird that often stays inside dense vegetation, yet its frequent loud calls still give away that it is there. It is usually found in groups of 3 to 10 birds. It forages at low and middle levels and feeds in flocks, sometimes alongside other species and sometimes in mixed-species flocks. It eats many fruits and seeds, and it takes insects from foliage. One recorded bird at La Fortuna was calling in display.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it is usually common in humid tropical lowlands, in open areas, forest edges, crops and gardens, and it reaches about 1200 m elevation. It is fairly common in humid second growth on the Caribbean slope. Most records come from the Caribbean slope, and records differ on whether it also reaches the Pacific slope of central Costa Rica. It has recently spread into the Central Valley.

When to see it

In Costa Rica it breeds between April and July.

Similar birds

Costa Rican saltators sound alike, have similar face patterns and can skulk, so size is the best clue. The Grayish Saltator is a bird of Central Valley gardens and edges with a variable, rising whistled song. The Streaked Saltator is common in the Valle del General and has a slow whistled song. Neither has the harsh, choppy song of the Black-headed.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican lists give the common name Chayotero for this bird, though the name is also used for the Buff-throated Saltator, so the word does not point to one species. Other Spanish names listed for it in Costa Rica and nearby countries include saltador cabecinegro and saltator.

Status and conservation

The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, and Costa Rica's official list (AOCR) gives it resident status.

Photography tips

Saltators in Costa Rica visit feeders and gardens, which helps with views of skulking birds. This one still rarely comes out into the open in second growth, so feeders are the better bet for a clear look.