Loriotus luctuosus
The White-shouldered Tanager, *Loriotus luctuosus*, is a captivating and widespread member of the Thraupidae family, recently reclassified from the genus *Tachyphonus*. This small songbird measures approximately 13-14 cm (5.1-5.5 inches) in length and typically weighs between 15-20 grams. Males are strikingly dimorphic, featuring glossy, iridescent black plumage beautifully contrasted by a prominent, bright white patch on the bend of the wing, giving rise to its common name. Females, by contr...
This tanager primarily inhabits the canopy and sub-canopy of humid subtropical or tropical lowland forests, favoring forest edges, clearings, secondary growth, and riverine woodlands. It is typically found from sea level up to 1200 meters, occasionally reaching 1500 meters in elevation.
The White-shouldered Tanager's diet consists mainly of insects, such as caterpillars, beetles, and ants, supplemented significantly by small fruits. It primarily forages by gleaning insects from foliage and branches, also performing aerial sallies.
White-shouldered Tanagers are highly active, diurnal birds, frequently observed in pairs or small family groups, though they are most characteristic for regularly joining mixed-species foraging flocks, often serving as a nuclear species. They forage primarily by actively gleaning insects from fol...
The White-shouldered Tanager boasts an extensive, non-migratory distribution across the Neotropics, spanning southern Central America and much of northern South America. Its range commences on the Caribbean slope of Honduras, extending southward through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In South...
Least Concern
- The striking white 'shoulder' patch of the male is technically on the bend of the wing, not the bird's anatomical shoulder. - These tanagers are frequently a core member of mixed-species foraging flocks, often leading or stabilizing these assemblages in their Neotropical habitats. - Despite its...