CreatureData

Plushcap

Catamblyrhynchus diadema Lafresnaye, 1842

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema) is a species in the family Thraupidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13.4 g to 14.9 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema)
Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the plushcap

Weight
13.4 g – 14.9 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the plushcap live?

Not recorded

What is the plushcap?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema) is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and it is the only member of the genus Catamblyrhynchus.

The plushcap is one of the most distinctive of all Neotropical passerines in both its appearance and behavior. The plushcap was in its own family until recently when it was grouped with the tanagers. The bill is broad and black. The body is a chestnut color with a bright golden-yellow forecrown. The forecrown is made up of stiff feathers. It has been speculated that these short, dense feathers are less susceptible to feather wear and more resistant to moisture than typical feathers. This may be an adaptation for its specialized feeding mode, in which it probes into dense whorls of bamboo for its prey items. They are found at high elevations from northern Venezuela south to Argentina, including the coastal mountains of Venezuela and the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and extreme northwestern Argentina. They live in montane forests and secondary forests near bamboo. They forage for insects inside the bamboo. They will eat small insects, berries, and small plant matter.

The bird is very distinct and is not confused with many other birds. It stands out from the other tanagers, only possibly being confused with the golden-crowned tanager despite the golden-crowned tanager being blue.

Its natural habitat is humid montane forests and it is always found in close association with Chusquea bamboo. It is typically found at elevations between 1,800 and 3,500 m (5,900–11,500 ft).

From the Wikipedia article “Plushcap” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plushcap&oldid=1380700618), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the plushcap sound like?

Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the plushcap endangered?

The plushcap is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the plushcap classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyThraupidae
  6. genusCatamblyrhynchus
  7. SpeciesCatamblyrhynchus diadema Lafresnaye, 1842

Synonyms Bustamantia capitaurea

Other names and names in other languages (29)
  • Plush-capped finchEnglish
  • tàngara durbecCatalan
  • temenáček diamantovýCzech
  • DiademfinkeDanish
  • PlüschkopftangareGerman
  • pluŝoĉapa tangaroEsperanto
  • Tangara peludaSpanish
  • DiademaSpanish
  • kruunusirkkuFinnish
  • Tête-de-peluche couronnéFrench
  • plišokapa tangaraCroatian
  • bársonyfejű pintyHungarian
  • TestacoronataItalian
  • ズキンコウカンチョウJapanese
  • pliušiagalvis giesmininkasLithuanian
  • FluweelkaptangareDutch
  • plysjpanneNorwegian
  • pluszogłówkaPolish
  • felpudoPortuguese
  • tangará-felpudoPortuguese
  • ПлюшевоголовRussian
  • Плюшевоголовый вьюрокRussian
  • Плюшеголовый вьюрокRussian
  • plyšohlávka bambusováSlovak
  • plyschpannaSwedish
  • Peruklu TangaraTurkish
  • плюшівник золотолобийUkrainian
  • 絨頂雀Chinese
  • 绒顶唐纳雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the plushcap

Other species in the same family Thraupidae.

LC, Least Concern
Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Bananaquit

Coereba flaveola

Thraupidae

ComparePlushcap vs Paradise tanagerPlushcap vs Blue-gray tanagerPlushcap vs BananaquitPlushcap vs Green-headed tanager

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the plushcap?

An adult plushcap weighs 13.4 g – 14.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the plushcap endangered?

The plushcap is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the plushcap?

The plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema) belongs to the family Thraupidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/plushcap

MLA

“Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/plushcap.

BibTeX
@misc{plushcap_2026,
  title = {Plushcap (Catamblyrhynchus diadema)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/plushcap},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}