Green-naped Tanager

Tangara fucosa

This small tanager has a very limited range near the border of Panama and Colombia. Note the mostly black head with pale greenish spots on the cheek and nape, extensive dark spotting on breast and flanks, rich buffy belly, black back, and blue edges on wing feathers. Uncommon in montane forest and edges from around 600 to 1,350 m, where pairs or small groups often forage with mixed-species flocks in the middle to upper levels. Green-naped was recently split from Spangle-cheeked Tanager, which is found in western Panama and Costa Rica, and looks very similar but does not overlap in range.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Tangara fucosa
Authority
Nelson, 1912
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Tangara

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Common Redstart

Common Redstart

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Male handsome and distinctive, with black face and throat offset by white brow, bright orangey breast, blue-gray back. Female drab gray-brown overall except for bright tail. Female told from female Black Redstart by warmer, buffy-brown (not grayish) breast. Found in mixed and deciduous woodland, heathland with trees and hedges; often uses coastal scrub, thornscrub, and other drier habitats during the non-breeding season. Unobtrusive; tends to perch rather upright and has a distinctive habit of shivering its bright orangey tail. Pleasant song can include various whistles and warbles, as well as drier, buzzier phrases. Calls include hard “pik” notes and a rising “weet.”

Green Cochoa

Green Cochoa

Cochoa viridis

A gorgeously colored but highly elusive and uncommon bird found in extensive hill forests, particularly in areas with well-shaded ravines, gullies, and streams. Slow-moving and restricted to the canopy, where it blends in with the foliage. If seen, the green body is most obvious, followed by the black and silvery-blue bands on the wing. A better look would reveal a sky-blue head with a thin black eye-stripe and a pale blue tail. Listen for its song, a high, thin, even-sounding whistle, often given repeatedly but difficult to pin down.

White-bibbed Babbler

White-bibbed Babbler

Stachyris thoracica

Handsome and well-named large babbler with a snow-white “bib.” Also note blue facial skin and bright chestnut back. Crown is brownish on birds from western Java, and grayish on those from central and eastern Java. Despite large size and bright colors, can be quite skulky and difficult to see well. Hops and clambers about in dense bushes and vines in foothill forests, typically in mid-sized groups, giving dry churring rattles. Also gives a short, fluty-sounding whistle.

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