Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager
Anisognathus igniventris
Common and unmistakable. Mostly black with a bright red belly, a red ear patch, and a blue rump and shoulder. Young birds are duller orange instead of red. Pairs or small flocks forage at all levels of montane forest and edges, often with mixed-species flocks. Occurs from extreme western Venezuela to Bolivia, from around 2,600 to 3,600 m. Listen for strange song: a rambling jumble of squeaks and tinkles.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Anisognathus igniventris
- Authority
- (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Anisognathus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

White-winged Becard
Pachyramphus polychopterus
Becards are reminiscent of flycatchers; they are medium-sized and have a rather flat head. Geographically variable: males in the north and west are gray with a black cap and back; in the Amazon primarily black overall, and both forms have bold black-and-white markings on wings. Female is nondescript with a rather plain face and pale yellowish underparts. Look for her buffy wingbars and buffy tips on the tail. Both sexes are similar to Black-and-white Becard; look for male’s black back and female's plain head (lacking rufous cap and black eyeline). Singles or pairs are found in wooded areas but not usually inside mature forest; they prefer edges and second growth. Usually found at middle levels in trees.

Black-throated Wattle-eye
Platysteira peltata
Small black-and-white bird with a patch of bright red bare skin above the eye. Females have a black hood, and males a white throat and black breast band. Found in forest, thick woodland, and mangroves. Generally local and uncommon. The unmusical song is usually given as a duet: a mix of low-pitched rasping notes and higher bleating notes. Similar to Brown-throated Wattle-eye but never shows white in the wing, and the female has a black rather than brown throat. Separated from batises by the red wattle and lack of white in the wing.

Yellow-crowned Elaenia
Myiopagis flavivertex
Small, inconspicuous bird of coastal swamps and seasonally inundated forests. Yellow crown is essentially impossible to see under most viewing conditions; note dull overall appearance, indistinct wing bars, and longish tail. Inhabits upper levels of tall forest; also occurs in abandoned plantations and other disturbed habitats, where it may be found closer to the ground. Feeds on insects and fruit. Most similar to Greenish Elaenia but has more prominent wing bars; Forest Elaenia is more clean-cut, with a stronger facial pattern and white crown patch. Explosive song is a decelerating cackle; it is distinctive once learned and usually the most reliable indicator of this species’s presence.
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