Black-and-gold Tanager
Bangsia melanochlamys
Colorful and rather chunky tanager with a stout bill. It is endemic to Colombia, where it inhabits cloud forest in the western Andes as well as the northern end of the central Andes. Plumage is black with an orange breast, yellow belly, and blue shoulders. Similar to Golden-chested Tanager, but yellow on underparts is much more extensive. Usually seen in middle to upper levels of the forest, sometimes with mixed species flocks. Song, often given from an exposed perch, is a rasping “pit-zhee” that may be given several times in quick succession.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Bangsia melanochlamys
- Authority
- (Hellmayr, 1910)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Bangsia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocoptes medius
Medium-large black-and-white woodpecker. Marginally smaller than Great Spotted Woodpecker, but rounded head and shortish beak exaggerate this size difference. Both sexes are similar, with a red crown (brighter in the male) and an incomplete cheek bar. It has a rattle call: "kíg-gag-gag-gag-gag" and gives a nasal long-drawn series of “gwaaag” calls. Rarely drums. Closely tied to old deciduous forests, often in areas with an abundance of oak or beech.

Long-billed Bernieria
Bernieria madagascariensis
Large, long-tailed, long-billed, dull-olive tetraka. Madagascar endemic that is found in rainforest, dry deciduous forest, and locally in spiny forest. Prefers the mid-story, and often joins mixed flocks with tetrakas and other birds. Song is a fairly musical phrase of up-and-down whistles. Call is a rough “trek-trak”. Separated from tetrakas by its larger size and its longer bill and tail. Doesn’t have the pale eye-ring of Spectacled Tetraka or the gray head of Gray-crowned Tetraka. Much more olive-colored than brush-warblers.

Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Chalcites minutillus
A small greenish bird with a heavily barred throat, chest and tail. Lacks the dark stripe through the eye seen in Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo. Males have a prominent red eyering. Usually observed in thicker vegetation, such as mangroves and wetter forest. Has a distinctive call - a fast series of around 5 descending staccato notes and trills.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.