Urothraupis stolzmanni
The Black-backed Bush Tanager (Urothraupis stolzmanni) is a striking, medium-sized songbird endemic to the high-elevation humid montane forests of the northern Andes. Measuring approximately 14-15 cm (5.5-5.9 inches) in length and weighing around 25-30 grams, it presents a distinct plumage: a slate-gray head, throat, and underparts, which transition to a paler white on the lower belly and vent, sharply contrasting with its glossy black back, wings, and a relatively long, graduated black tail....
Exclusively found in high-elevation humid montane and cloud forests, including forest borders, secondary growth, and dense bamboo thickets, typically at elevations between 2,100 and 3,000 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, gleaning arthropods from foliage and mosses, supplemented with small berries and fruits, especially during periods of insect scarcity.
The Black-backed Bush Tanager is a diurnal and rather active species, often observed foraging in pairs or small family groups. Its primary foraging strategy involves gleaning insects and other arthropods from the dense foliage, mossy branches, and bamboo thickets of the understory and mid-story, ...
The Black-backed Bush Tanager is an endemic resident of the northern Andean mountains of South America. Its distribution spans from southern Colombia, specifically in the departments of Nariño and Putumayo, southward through the eastern slopes of Ecuador. In Ecuador, it extends down to the provin...
Least Concern
- It is the sole member of its genus, *Urothraupis*, indicating a unique evolutionary path within the tanager family. - Despite its common name, its exact phylogenetic relationship to other 'bush-tanagers' (genus *Chlorospingus*) is still a subject of scientific study and sometimes debated. - Thi...