Dotted Tanager
Ixothraupis varia
Small, beautiful tanager with bright uniform green plumage. Males have bluish wings and tail and scattered dots on breast. Note the dark lores. Females are all green and lack the dark lores. Found patchily in the canopy of humid forest and forest edges, typically in white sand areas or ridgetops, and often found with mixed-species flocks. Easily confused with juveniles of Yellow-bellied and Spotted Tanagers. The song is a very high, hissing “tsip... tsee-tseee-tsee-tsee-tsee”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ixothraupis varia
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Ixothraupis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Crested Black-Tyrant
Knipolegus lophotes
Large flycatcher found in grasslands and savannas with scattered trees. Unmistakable by its uniform black plumage and long thin crest; sexes similar. In flight shows a white wing patch. Usually silent, but the song is sharp and nasal “djew-pew.”
White Woodpecker
Melanerpes candidus
Strikingly-plumaged medium-sized woodpecker, mostly white with dark wings and back contrasting with yellow goggles with a dark eye stripe. Males have a yellowish nape. Often seen in small groups foraging in open areas, savannas, and dry forests. Makes a series of ternlike “krreee, krreeee” calls.
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Unique, chunky finch. Note the massive bill (steely gray in summer, pinkish in winter) and blue-gray hindneck, like a shawl on an orangey head. Broad white tail tip and white wing band show mainly in flight. Despite distinctive appearance, shy and easily overlooked. Favors mixed and deciduous mature woodland, especially with beech, oak, and hornbeam, where tends to feed and perch quietly, high in the canopy. Also feeds on the ground in autumn and winter, sometimes forming single-species flocks. Gives high-pitched “tsik!” and lower ticking calls.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.