#carpornis

[best-bird-tournament]

Berryeater (Carpornis)

Which is the best bird?

Hooded berryeater

Black-headed berryeater

Voting ended onJun 25, 2025

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Carpornis

Black-Headed Berryeater by Dario Sanches, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Etymology: Fruit Bird

First Described By: Gray, 1846

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Tyranni, Tyrannides, Tyrannida, Cotingidae

Referred Species: C. cucullata (Hooded Berryeater), C. melanocephala (Black-Headed Berryeater)

Status: Extant, Vulnerable - Near Threatened

Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The Berryeaters are primarily known from the southeastern coast of Brazil 

Physical Description: The Berryeaters are medium sized passerines, from 20.5 to 23 centimeters in length. The males and females are fairly similar in appearance, with yellow bodies and black heads. They also have green wings and tails. They have small, slightly curved beaks. The females in general are a little smaller than the males in size. They also have medium-length tails.

Diet: The Berryeaters eat mostly soft fruits such as - you guessed it - berries. They do occasionally also feed on insects.

Behavior: These birds will forage on fruits, sometimes even in flight. They usually feed alone, however, rather than in flocks. They make calls mainly territorially, calling out “tuhweeo” or “wo-op”. They also make grating notes when talking amongst themselves. These birds do not appear to migrate.

Very little is known about their breeding habits. It seems as though they lay eggs from September through October. It’s possible they lay eggs in cups in trees low to the ground, supported by dry leaves and stems, but it’s uncertain if the nests in question are actually from the Berryeaters. It’s probable that only the females incubate the eggs. 

Hooded Berryeater by Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Ecosystem: The Berryeaters mainly live in humid tropical forests, especially close to dry sandy soil away from the coast.

Other: These birds are both threatened with extinction, primarily due to extensive ongoing habitat loss.

Species Differences: The Hooded Berryeater has a brown back, while the Black-Headed Berryeater has a green back and slightly greener wings than its close cousin. In addition, the Black-Headed Berryeater is larger and feeds on larger fruits than its cousin. The Hooded Berryeater also lives in more mountain habitats than the Black-Headed Berryeater. Finally, the Black-Headed Berryeater seems to have a longer breeding season than that of the Hooded Berryeater.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

Jobling, J. A. 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm Publishing, A&C Black Publishers Ltd, London.

Snow, D., de Juana, E. & Sharpe, C.J. (2019). Black-headed Berryeater (Carpornis melanocephala). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Snow, D. & Sharpe, C.J. (2019). Hooded Berryeater (Carpornis cucullata). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.