Cinereous mourner

Cinereous mourner
at Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Tityridae
Genus:	Laniocera
Species:	L. hypopyrra
Binomial name
Laniocera hypopyrra (Vieillot, 1817)

The cinereous mourner (Laniocera hypopyrra) is a species of bird in the family Tityridae. The term cinereous describes its colouration. It has traditionally been placed in the cotinga family, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae, where now placed by SACC. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

French naturalist Louis Pierre Vieillot described the species in 1817.

Nestlings of this species are orange with long filoplumes that end in white tips and have a resemblance to hairy caterpillars of a moth belonging to the family Megalopygidae. The young birds move their heads slowly from side to side which are thought to enhance the impression by resembling a moving caterpillar. It is thought that this may be the first case of Batesian mimicry involving a harmless bird mimic and a toxic insect model, although another species, the elegant mourner (or shrike-like cotinga) (Laniisoma elegans), also has young that share a similar downy appearance; however, detailed observations of the latter are unavailable.