Hemithraupis flavicollis
The Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) is a vibrant and active passerine belonging to the Thraupidae family, renowned for its striking plumage and energetic foraging habits. Males are instantly recognizable with their brilliant yellow back and rump, sharply contrasting with a glossy black head, nape, and ear coverts, and a pristine white throat. Their underparts are often white with a variable yellow wash, while wings and tail are olive-green to dusky. Measuring about 12.5-13.5 ...
This species primarily inhabits the canopy and subcanopy of humid tropical and subtropical forests, forest edges, secondary growth, and clearings with scattered tall trees, typically found at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of small arthropods gleaned from foliage and bark; also consumes small berries and fruits, especially from mistletoe.
Yellow-backed Tanagers are highly diurnal and incessantly active, spending their days foraging tirelessly high in the forest canopy. They are quintessential members of mixed-species foraging flocks, often accompanying various other tanagers, warblers, and woodcreepers, which is their primary soci...
The Yellow-backed Tanager is a widely distributed resident species across a broad swath of Central and South America. Its range extends from eastern Panama, through northern Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana). Southward, it is found across much of the Amazon Ba...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-backed Tanager is frequently observed as a core member of mixed-species foraging flocks, sometimes participating in groups of 20 or more bird species. - Despite its name, the genus Hemithraupis is sometimes considered a 'bush-tanager' or 'hemithraupis-tanager,' differentiating them f...