Stilpnia viridicollis
The Silver-backed Tanager, *Stilpnia viridicollis*, is a breathtakingly vibrant songbird native to the Andean cloud forests, distinguished by its brilliant emerald-green plumage contrasting with a striking silvery-white mantle. Measuring approximately 13-14 cm (5-5.5 inches) in length and weighing around 18-22 grams, males exhibit a prominent black mask, a rich green head and underparts, and the eponymous silvery patch on their back, sharply delineated from a black rump and wings. Females are...
This species primarily inhabits humid montane and cloud forests, as well as forest edges and secondary growth. It is typically found at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,700 meters (3,300-8,900 feet) above sea level.
Their diet consists primarily of small fruits and berries, complemented by a significant intake of insects. They forage by gleaning arthropods from foliage and occasionally hawking them in flight.
Silver-backed Tanagers are diurnal and highly active birds, spending their days foraging energetically in the mid-story and canopy of their forest habitat. They often join mixed-species flocks, moving swiftly through the foliage alongside other tanagers, warblers, and small passerines, a strategy...
The Silver-backed Tanager is endemic to the humid montane forests of the central Andes in South America, primarily distributed across Peru and into northern Bolivia. Its breeding range spans from the departments of Cajamarca and Amazonas in northern Peru, south through the Peruvian Andes to Puno,...
Least Concern
- The Silver-backed Tanager was formerly placed in the genus *Tangara*, but genetic studies reclassified it into *Stilpnia*, a genus comprising tanagers with smaller bills and often more intricate plumage patterns. - Its iridescent green plumage is not due to pigment but to the microscopic struct...