Tangara icterocephala
The Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara icterocephala) is an avian jewel, captivating birders with its resplendent plumage. Measuring approximately 13-14 cm (5.1-5.5 inches) in length and weighing 19-21 grams (0.67-0.74 ounces), this passerine is a medium-sized member of the Thraupidae family. Its most striking feature, lending it its name, is a brilliant, iridescent silvery-white throat, contrasting sharply with a bright golden-yellow head, underparts, and rump. A prominent black mask extends t...
Found primarily in humid montane forests, cloud forests, and their transitional edges, typically at elevations between 700 and 2,000 meters (2,300-6,500 feet) above sea level.
An omnivorous species, its diet consists mainly of small fruits and berries, supplemented by a significant intake of insects and other arthropods gleaned from foliage. Nectar is occasionally consumed.
This diurnal species is highly arboreal, spending most of its time gleaning insects and small fruits from the foliage and branches of the forest canopy and subcanopy. It moves with agility, often hanging upside down to reach prey or ripe berries. Silver-throated Tanagers are frequently observed p...
The Silver-throated Tanager is a resident species found in a disjunct range across Central and northwestern South America. In Central America, its distribution includes the Caribbean and central Pacific slopes of Costa Rica and extends into western and central Panama. Moving south, its range cont...
Least Concern
- The 'silver' in its throat plumage is a structural color, meaning it results from the microscopic structure of the feathers scattering light, rather than from pigment. - It belongs to the genus *Tangara*, one of the largest and most colorful genera of birds in the Neotropics, boasting over 50 s...