White-shouldered Tanager

Loriotus luctuosus

Small tanager with striking sexual dimorphism: male entirely black with bold white shoulder patch; female olive above and yellow below with gray head. Male most similar to White-lined Tanager but smaller with much more obvious white shoulder. Female confusing, could be mistaken for several other species of tanagers; always note small size and fairly thick bill. Typically found in pairs or small groups, usually with mixed feeding flocks, in forested habitats in lowlands and foothills.

Identification

The white-shouldered tanager (Loriotus luctuosus) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found from Honduras to Panama, on Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Taxonomy

Genus: Loriotus; Family: Thraupidae; Order: Passeriformes.

Scientific name
Loriotus luctuosus
Authority
(d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Loriotus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant

Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant

Pseudotriccus pelzelni

A tiny, rotund flycatcher found singly in the understory of montane forest from Panama to Peru. Very nondescript plumage: darker olive above with a dull tawny breast and yellowish belly. Looks uniformly brownish in bad light. Usually stays low, where it perches quietly and sallies out to glean insects. Often detected by its snapping sounds and whirring wingbeats. Occurs from around 700–2,000 m, typically lower than Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant but some elevation overlap.

Slender-billed Flufftail

Slender-billed Flufftail

Sarothrura watersi

Tiny, rare, skulking rail-like bird that is unlikely to be seen unless you’re expressly looking for it at a handful of known sites. Male has rich rufous and olive-green color, while female is a subdued dark brown. Found in a few wetlands at middle and high elevations in eastern Madagascar, usually adjacent to rainforest. Call is an odd and earthy series of “tduk” calls, sometimes given singly and sometimes in triplets. Longer-billed than the much more common Madagascar Flufftail, and both sexes of Slender-billed Flufftail have duller coloration.

Bahama Yellowthroat

Bahama Yellowthroat

Geothlypis rostrata

A largish, slow-moving warbler that inhabits thick vegetation from marshes to pine woodlands with dense thatch-palm undergrowth. Rather similar to Common Yellowthroat, but larger and more robust with a proportionately heavier bill. Males are entirely yellow below unlike Common Yellowthroats of eastern North America. The black mask of the Bahama Yellowthroat does not narrow towards the bill as it typically does in the Common. On the Andros Islands and New Providence, the crown is gray, unlike Common. Similarly, female Bahama Yellowthroats are more extensive yellow below but often have some gray on the lower belly. Songs and calls resemble those of Common, but the “tchuck” note lacks vibrato.

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White-shouldered Tanager | BirdLens