Grass-green Tanager (Chlorornis riefferii) - 18Aug2024

This unique looking tanager inhabits high elevation montane forests in the Andes from Colombia down through Bolivia.  I photographed this one on my second trip to Colombia.

Blue-capped Tanager (Sporathraupis cyanocephala) - 14 & 18 Aug2024

The Blue-capped Tanager is mostly a high elevation species in the Andes from Venezuela down to Bolivia, but it does venture down to sea level in Venezuela.  We had them in a couple different spots on my second trip to Colombia.

Hooded Mountain Tanager (Buthraupis montana) - 17Aug2024

This awesome tanager is one of the largest tanagers and has some bright colors to boot.   It is found in high elevation montane forests of the Andean highlands from Venezuela down to Bolivia.  We had this one at a feeder set up on the grounds of Termales del Ruiz in Colombia.

Gold-ringed Tanager (Bangsia aureocincta) - 14Aug2024

I only obtained one half decent photo of this Vulnerable (IUCN criteria) tanager that is endemic to a small area of montane cloud forest in the western cordillera in Colombia.  Photographed at Camino Montezuma where they have set aside forests for this flagship species.

Black-and-gold Tanager (Bangsia melanochlamys) - 15Aug2024

The Black-and-gold Tanager is endemic to the western cordillera in Colombia.  This one was photographed on the Camino Montezuma.

Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus) - 10Aug2024

This beauty of a tanager inhabits the forests of Venezuela, Colombia and Panama and oddly enough has been introduced to French Polynesia.  I had them on both of my trips to Colombia but improved on pictures on the second trip.

Silver-beaked Tanager (Ramphocelus carbo) - 20 & 22 Aug2022

This is a very widespread tanager across most of the northern half of South America as far south as the Pantanal in Brazil which is where I saw these. The color on the bills is strange and difficult to capture with a camera but I was able to get a few good shots.

Flame-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus) - 21Aug2024

This tanager is endemic to western Colombia and common within its range.  There are nine species in this genus across Central and South America.  All photographs from the Cauca Valley. 

White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus) -15 & 21 Aug 2022

This all black (male) tanager looks like some of the others in South America, but it is the default in some areas which is true for the Pantanal where I photographed these.  Its bill is also significantly larger than the similar Ruby-crowned Tanager. It is sexually dimorphic with the female being a reddish brown color. The white "line" on the shoulder of the male is only visible when it is displaying during breeding season.

Ruby-crowned Tanager (Tachyphonus coronatus) - 09Aug2022

Ruby-crowned Tanagers look like White-lined Tanagers and if you don't pay attention can easily be mistaken for a blackbird or cowbird.  They inhabit the Atlantic Forest of southeast South America.  These photos were taken near Sao Paulo.

White-shouldered Tanager (Loriotus luctuosus) - 05Aug2019 & 11Aug2024

The White-shouldered Tanager looks a lot like the White-lined Tanager, but it has a much more obvious big white shoulder patch.  It ranges across a large area in Central and South America.  All of my photos are from Colombia, a mix from my first two trips.

Gray-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata) - 13& 17Aug2022

This widespread tanager of Central and South America is the only member of its genus.  My photographs are from the Pantanal in Brazil. 

Black-goggled Tanager (Trichothraupis melanops) - 09Aug2022

This sleek looking tanager has a couple disjunct populations in South America, one in the Atlantic forests of the southeast and another along the Andes from Peru to Bolivia.  I photographed this one near Sao Paulo while we had a one-day stop before proceeding to the Pantanal in Brazil.  It is the only member of its genus.

Superciliaried Hemispingus (Thlypopsis superciliaris) - 17Aug2024

This tanager is the only species in its genus with a name including Hemispingus, all the other seven being called tanagers.  It is found in Montane forests from Venezuela down through Bolivia in the Andes of South America.  I photographed this one in the Reserva Chinguaza near Bogota, Colombia.

Orange-headed Tanager (Thlypopsis sordida) - 22Aug2022

This is apparently a very widespread tanager of South America, but I have only run into it once so far on my trip to the Pantanal in Brazil.  It can inhabit a variety of successional habitats including Cerrado or dry scrubland.

 

Oleaginous Hemispingus (Sphenopsis frontalis) - 12Aug2024

A questionable name to say the least.  Who thinks of a particular shade of yellow-green when they think of Oleaginous?  Not I!  This is a high elevation species across the Andes from Venezuela down to Peru.  I took the below photo on my second trip to Colombia.  The Hemispingus genus contains four species, all of which inhabit the Andes montane forests in northwest South America.

Hooded Tanager (Nemosia pileata) - 12Aug2022

The Hooded Tanager of South America has two disjunct populations, one across the very north coast and another much larger one in the central and southeastern portions. Consequently, it is an abundant and widespread species.  I love the piercing yellow eye!

White-capped Tanager (Sericossypha albocristata) - 06Aug2024

This tanager is interesting because it travels in roving family flocks but if you don't luck into one of the flocks, you will be hard pressed to find one because they don't stay in one area and they are relatively scarce.  They are considered Vulnerable per the IUCN criteria.  They are a high elevation species from Venezuela down to Peru.  We had ours in Colombia.  

White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata) - 16Aug2022

The White-banded Tanager is also known as the Shrike-like Tanager for obvious reasons.  It inhabits Cerrado (dry scrub) in mostly Brazil but also Paraguay and Bolivia.   Despite it looking just like a shrike, it is distantly related.  This one was photographed in Chapada dos Guimaraes north of the Pantanal.

Cinnamon Tanager (Schistochlamys ruficapillus) - 16Aug2022

This tanager is almost a Brazilian endemic but a few have crossed into Paraguay.  Their range covers much of Brazil especially in the south and east.  This one was photographed in Chapada dos Guimaraes just north of the Pantanal in Brazil.

Black-faced Tanager (Schistochlamys melanopis) - 16Aug2022

This tanager of the South American lowlands and scrublands has a huge range in basically any place that is relatively flat.  It almost looks more like a saltator than a tanager. It loves the Pantanal in Brazil which is where I saw this one.

Yellow-billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata) - 12 & 19 Aug2022

There are six species of cardinal in this genus in South America.  All of them are a beautiful combination of red, white and black. The Yellow-billed shares a similar range to the Red-crested, being south central South America including the southern Pantanal which is where I photographed these.

Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata) - 10Aug2022

This stunning cardinal of southeastern and central South America has been introduced into Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Chile.  However, I was pleased to see it in its natural range in the Pantanal in Brazil.  This one was coming to the feeders at Pousada Aguape.

Varied Bunting (Passerina versicolor) - 06Aug2021

The Varied Bunting is a mostly Mexican bird with some incursion into the southwestern United States during breeding season and also some small disjunct populations in Guatemala.  I certainly need to improve on my pictures as I only saw them very briefly in Box Canyon, Arizona and the light was poor.

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) - 21Jun2024

This North American songbird breeds almost entirely in the western United States but also crosses over into southern Canada a bit.  The non-breeding range includes much of Mexico.  I took the below photos in Colorado in the summer.

Black-backed Grosbeak (Pheucticus aureoventris) - 07Aug2024

This grosbeak of South America can be found along the Andes from Venezuela all the way down to northern Argentina and in non-breeding season can expand throughout the southern Amazon Basin and Pantanal areas in Brazil.  I photographed the below photos on my second trip to Colombia. 

Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) - 03Aug2019

This grosbeak is mostly found along the Pacific coasts of Ecuador and Peru, but it has a few disjunct populations that live along the north of Colombia and Venezuela and even across in Trinidad and Tobago.  I took this photo up in the Santa Marta range on my first trip to Colombia.

Vermilion Cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus) - 30Jul2019

This gorgeous cardinal species inhabits the dry scrub forests of the northeast coast of Colombia and also Venezuela.  I photographed the below male and female during my first trip to Colombia which was focused on the Guajira Peninsula and the Santa Marta mountains.