TANAGERS   -   THRAUPIDAE   -   PART I

Red-crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata Pousada Piuval, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. This is certainly the most handsome member of the genus, found from Bolivia to Argentina and Uruguay. Recent genetic analysis (see here for reference) has shown that the cardinals in this genus belong with the tanagers. (S6)

Red-cowled Cardinal Paroaria dominicana Barra Grande, Bahia state, Brazil. (D3)

Red-capped Cardinal Paroaria gularis gularis Amazonia Lodge, Madre de Dios department, Peru. (D2)		Yellow-billed Cardinal Paroaria capitata capitata Pousada Piuval, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Very similar to Red-capped, but note the difference in bill color and leg color. (D2)

Cinnamon Tanager Schistochlamys ruficapillus ruficapillus Serra do Cipó NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A tanager mainly of drier, scrubby habitats of interior Brazil. (S5f)

Magpie Tanager Cissopis leverianus major Iguazú National Park, Misiones province, Argentina. A characteristic bird of the Amazon basin, but it also occurs locally in the Atlantic Forest, as in this photo. The two races are very similar.(S6)

White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata Serra de Cipó, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Male. A cerrado specialist, occurring in Brazil and adjacent parts of Bolivia and Paraguay. (S6)

White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata Serra de Cipó, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Female. (D3)

Red-billed Pied Tanager Lamprospiza melanoleuca Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. A distant shot from the canopy tower. I'll try to do better, but it is such a cool bird. They occur in much of the Amazon and Guianan region, but not the northeastern area (e.g. Ecuador). Small flocks roam the forest canopy, and they are tough to see away from a canopy tower. (S6)

Scarlet-throated Tanager Compsothraupis loricata Palmeiras, Bahia state, Brazil. Males. A big, aberrant tanager endemic to dry forests of northeastern Brazil. They often move around in large flocks of a dozen birds or more. (D3)		Scarlet-throated Tanager Compsothraupis loricata Palmeiras, Bahia state, Brazil. Female. (D3)

White-capped Tanager Sericossypha albocristata Above Jardín, Antioquia department, Colombia. A unique Andean tanager that looks and behaves far more like a jay. It occurs in temperate forests from extreme southern Venezuela to northern Peru. (D3)

Hooded Tanager Nemosia pileata pileata(?) Careiro da Varzea, Amazonas state, Brazil. Male, with a female peering into the frame on the right. This is a rather widespread and locally common bird in South America. The only other member of its genus, the Cherry-throated Tanager (N. rourei), is one of the rarest and most endangered birds on the continent. (D3)

Olive-green Tanager Orthogonys chloricterus Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. A monotypic genus endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest of SE Brazil. Large, noisy flocks move through the forest canopy. (S6)

Black-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus atropileus atropileus Cerro Toledo, Loja province, Ecuador. Hemispinguses are warbler-like tanagers of high Andean forests. (S5)

Buff-bellied Tanager Thlypopsis inornata Utcubamba Valley, Amazonas department, Peru. This species is restricted to the Marañon drainage of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. (S6)

Chestnut-headed Tanager Pyrrhocoma ruficeps Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest region, where it seems to have a strong association with bamboo. (S6)

White-rumped Tanager Cypsnagra hirundinacea hirundinacea Serra de Cipó, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A unique tanager mainly of non-forest habitats of Brazil, also occurring in parts of adjacent Bolivia and Paraguay. Pairs stay close together, they give vert loud, though not very musical, song duets. (S5)

Black-goggled Tanager Trichothraupis melanops Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. Male. A cloudforest species that occurs both in the southern Andes and the Atlantic Rainforest. (S6)

Black-goggled Tanager Trichothraupis melanops Folha Seca, Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil. Female, lacking black on the face. (S6)

Gray-headed Tanager Eucometis penicillata cristata(?) Soberania NP, Panama province, Panama. Presumably a pair. Another rather widespread species, occurring in both wet and dry forest. (S2f)

Flame-crested Tanager Tachyphonus cristatus fallax Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. Male. (S6)

Fulvous-crested Tanager Tachyphonus surinamus brevipes Shiripuno Lodge, Pastaza province, Ecuador. Male. (D3)

White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus panamensis El Paujil reserve, Santander department, Colombia. Male. The female is totally different, check out the next photo. (S5)

White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus panamensis 6.5 km east of Guallabillas, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Female. (S5f)

Ruby-crowned Tanager Tachyphonus coronatus Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. Male. The ruby crown is concealed most of the time. This species replaces While-lined Tanager T. rufus in southern South America. (S6)

Ruby-crowned Tanager Tachyphonus coronatus Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. Female. (S6)

White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus Rancho Grande, Henri Pittier NP, Aragua state, Venezuela. Male. The white wing-linings that give the bird its name are not visible in this photo. It's a feature that is usually only visible in flight. (D3)

Masked Crimson Tanager Ramphocelus nigrogularis Amazonia Lodge, Madre de Dios department, Peru. Unlike the rest of the genus, this one is not sexually dimorphic. (D2)

Crimson-collared Tanager Ramphocelus sanguinolentus apricus Arenal Observatory, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. Obviously a close relative of the previous, and likewise not sexually dimorphic. (D3)

Crimson-backed Tanager Ramphocelus dimidiatus isthmicus El Valle, Cocle province, Panama. Female. (S2f)

Black-bellied Tanager Ramphocelus melanogaster melanogaster Afluente, San Martín department, Peru. Male. A very local geographic replacement of Silver-beaked Tanager R. carbo in the Huallaga valley and adjacent areas of northern Peru. (S6)

Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo venezuelensis Mitú, Vaupés department, Colombia. Male. A common species throughout much of tropical South America east of the Andes. (S6)

Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo carbo Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. Female. (S6)

Brazilian Tanager Ramphocelus bresilius dorsalis Folha Seca, Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil. Male. A brilliant bird endemic to lowland areas of eastern Brazil. It does fine in very degraded forest and even coastal scrub, so it has not sufferred from the massive deforestation throughout it's range. (D3)

Brazilian Tanager Ramphocelus bresilius dorsalis Folha Seca, Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil. Female. (S6)

Passerini's Tanager Ramphocelus passerinii La Selva OTS, Heredia province, Costa Rica. Male. This is one of a group of similar Neotropical tanagers that differ primarily in female plumage. (S6)

Passerini's Tanager Ramphocelus passerinii Arenal Observatory, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. Female. (S5)

Flame-rumped Tanager Ramphocelus flammigerus flammigerus Jardín, Antioquia department, Colombia. Currently this taxon is lumped with the yellow rumped icteronotus of Panama to extreme NW Peru (below). However, I think it is far more like Passerini's tanager R. passerinii (above) and wonder if it might be better included with that species, or split off as a monotypic species. (D3)

Flame-rumped (Yellow-rumped) Tanager Ramphocelus flammigerus icteronotus Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Male. A common and conspicuous bird in lighter woodland. (S6f)