The Saffron Finch is actually a tanager from South America with several large disjunct populations including the very northern areas and southeastern regions of South America. They have also been introduced in some island habitats like the ones in Jamaica. My below photos are from Brazil and Colombia respectively.
This tanager lives in grasslands that have some shrubs and small trees interspersed. They range across the middle of South America from the Pantanal in the west almost to the east coast of Brazil. We picked up ours in Chapada dos Guimaraes in Brazil.
I could not have asked this bird to be more cooperative. This Near Threatened (IUCN criteria) bird of dry savannah in the middle and eastern parts of South America is losing ground due to habitat loss. I took the below photo smack dab in the middle of South America near the Pantanal in Brazil.
The Plumbeous Sierra Finch has a massive range along the high elevation pastures from Venezuela down to the southern tip of Argentina. Both of the below pictures are from my second trip to Colombia.
This bush tanager is the only member of its genus and is found in high elevation habitats in Colombia and Ecuador. I remember the local guide was really excited to see this one. I photographed this one on the grounds of the Termales del Ruiz in Colombia.
This interesting bird was previously in its own family before they lumped it in with the tanagers. It spends its time probing bamboo for morsels in montane forests of the Andes from Venezuela down through Bolivia and even a bit into north Argentina. I photographed them on both trips to Colombia but I understand they can be difficult to find.
Like the Bluish Flowerpiercer, the Masked Flowerpiercer inhabits montane forests from Venezuela down to Bolivia in the Andes. They are both blue, but the Masked is a deeper blue and the mask is larger.
The Bluish Flowerpiercer is fairly widespread in humid montane forests from Venezuela down through Bolivia along the Andes. I took the below photo on my second trip to Colombia.
The Rusty Flowerpiercer is a widespread high elevation species from Venezuela down to northern Argentina. The below photo is from my first trip to Colombia in the Santa Marta range.
This flowerpiercer species is fairly widespread in the Andes from Venezuela down to Peru and does also venture to some lower elevation spots in Venezuela. The first photo below is a female photographed stealing nectar from the base of the flower on my second trip to Colombia. The other photos are from my first trip to Colombia in the Santa Marta range.
This species has a very restricted range in Colombia in Antioquia but also has a non-contiguous population that spans Peru and crosses over into Bolivia and Chile. I photographed this one at the same spot that we bagged the Antioquia Brushfinch.
The Black Flowerpiercer lives in the same habitats as its closest relative the Glossy Flowerpiercer, in the Andes from Venezuela down through Peru. The males can have a little blue coloring in the shoulder area but nothing approaching the big blue patch of the Glossy. The females are more dull and the immatures even more so. All below photos taken on my second trip to Colombia.
This high elevation species of flowerpiercer lives in Venezuela down to Peru in the Andes. I photographed it on my second trip to Colombia in the rain.
The chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer is a Near Threatened (IUCN criteria) endemic of the high elevation forests in Colombia. We had this one at the very top of the Camino Montezuma.
The Rufous-browed Conebill is almost a Colombian endemic but does have some small incursion into Venezuela. I photographed this one on my second trip to Colombia.
The Chestnut-vented Conebill ranges across much of the northern half of South America including a good portion of the central parts and the Atlantic forest. I photographed the below birds in the Pantanal of Brazil. The males have a nice chestnut vent, but the females don't.
The Blue-backed Conebill is a high elevation species of the Andes range from Venezuela down to Bolivia. We had them in a couple of different spots on my second trip to Colombia.
This tanager has a wide range across South America but not in Colombia specifically so we were chuffed when we saw a couple males on my second trip to Colombia. The last photo is a female bird from the Pantanal in Brazil.
The Blue Dacnis is a widespread species of Central and South America including the Pantanal of Brazil which is where I photographed this one.
This species was formerly lumped with Black-faced Dacnis but was split recently. The Black-faced does not have the conspicuous yellow on the sides and belly. The Yellow-tufted Dacnis inhabits valleys in-between the cordilleras in Colombia and Ecuador. My photos are from Colombia.
This unique looking tanager is widespread across much of South America including the Pantanal area. I took these photos in Chapada dos Guimaraes in Brazil. They are sexually dimorphic but both are striking. Apparently they are unique in the tanager world in that they will sometimes dig a burrow in a stream bed to make a nest.
This gorgeous tanager inhabits high elevations in the Andes of South America from Venezuela down to Bolivia with some coming down to lower elevations in the Venezuelan coastal range. All my photos are from Ukuku Lodge in Colombia.
This is a widespread tanager species of southeastern South America including areas as far west and north as the Panatanal in Brazil which is where the first photo below was taken. I think the second was from near Sao Paulo. It is closely related and looks similar to the Blue-gray Tanager of northern South America and Central America.
Here is a Colombian endemic tanager that I wished I had better photos of. It is listed as vulnerable per the IUCN criteria and we only saw one way up in the canopy during our visit to Camino Montezuma.
