Monday, July 21, 2025

Chestnut-capped Brushfinch

The Chestnut-capped Brushfinch is a fairly stocky, sparrowlike bird of highland forests occurring mainly in humid evergreen and pine-oak forest understory, often in brushy flower banks and shady canyons, where typically skulking and difficult to see well.


They feed on or near the ground and usually in pairs. The white throat stands out against black cheeks and narrow black breast band.

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Tawny-capped Euphonia

The Tawny-capped Euphonia is a small finchlike bird, compact and short tailed. Generally yellow below and dark blue-black above with stout, short bill.


On male Tawny-capped Euphonias the crown is entirely russet-orange and the throat is dark. They are often in pairs or small flocks and frequent forested habitats and edges.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Green Honeycreeper

The Green Honeycreeper is a very attractive small tanager of humid tropical lowlands. 


Found in humid evergreen forest edges, plantations, and gardens at times with mixed-species feeding flocks of honeycreepers and euphonias.


They are often in pairs, feeding at all levels in fruiting trees and bushes. Note the short, curved bill.


Males are a unique green-blue color with black hood and a banana yellow beak. Female resembles female Red-legged Honeycreeper but is larger, brighter, uniform green, with yellow lower bill and grayish legs.

Red-legged Honeycreeper

The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a small, warbler-like tanager of tropical lowlands that favours forest edge, woodland, and semi-open areas with taller trees. Often occurs in small groups, sometimes larger flocks, usually in the canopy of flowering trees, where it probes for nectar with its long bill


The red legs are bright on male, however dullest on young birds. The male is blue in breeding plumage, with a turquoise cap while the female and non-breeding male are greenish overall with faint streaking on the chest.


In flight, the underside of the wings flash bright sulphur-yellow. Cornell All About Birds

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Blue-gray Tanager

The Blue-gray Tanager is a common and widespread powder blue-gray bird of open and semi-open areas with larger trees and hedges, towns, villages, and gardens in tropical and subtropical regions. A bird we observed most days on our trip.


They mainly feed at mid-upper levels in trees, eating fruit, and perches readily on phone wires. Rather plain but distinctive appearance, with beady dark eye and fairly stout bill.

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Blue-and-Gold Tanager

The Blue-and-Gold Tanager is a chunky, stout-billed tanager. They are slightly larger and slower moving than many classic smaller tanagers. Overall dark slaty blue with golden yellow underparts with a short tale and red eye.


They are uncommon to rare in forests and edges, usually found in pairs or small flocks in the canopy. Cornell All About Bird

Friday, July 11, 2025

Emerald Tanager

The Emerald Tanager is a well-named tanager that is mostly emerald-green with trapezoidal black cheek patch, back streaking and wing markings.


They are small and active, usually found in pairs following mixed feeding flocks in foothill forests and edges feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Silver-throated Tanager

The Silver-throated Tanager is a small tanager, overall lemon-yellow but not super bright that usually looks a bit dirty. They have a distinctive silvery throat and green edges on wing feathers and black streaks on back.


The sexes are similar however the females a bit duller than males. 


They are common and active; usually found in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with larger mixed feeding flocks and tend to be found in more open areas such as forest edges or gardens feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Monday, July 7, 2025

Bay-headed Tanager

The Bay-headed Tanager is a stunning tanager that is mostly green with reddish head. Some populations have electric blue underparts, others entirely green.


Similar to Rufous-winged Tanager but always has green wings.


Found in pairs or small flocks in forest and edges, often in mixed feeding flocks from midstory to the canopy feeding on fruit. Cornell All About Birds

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Golden-hooded Tanager

The Golden-hooded Tanager is a very attractive small tanager of humid tropical lowlands that is found in humid evergreen forest edges, plantations, and gardens. At times with mixed-species feeding flocks of honeycreepers and euphonias as was the case when we observed this tanager.


Often in pairs, feeding at all levels in fruiting trees and bushes. The sexes look alike and are black and blue overall with a white belly and a soft golden hood. Cornell All About Birds

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

The Scarlet-rumped Tanager is fairly common in humid tropical lowlands. They favour evergreen forest edges, plantations, and verdant second growth, such as areas along roadsides. They forage mainly at low to middle levels often in fairly noisy small groups.


The male is unmistakable velvety black with a blinding scarlet rump. Formerly known as Cherrie's Tanager and Passerini's Tanager. Cornell All About Birds

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Crimson Collared Tanager

The Crimson Collared Tanager is a beautiful tanager of humid tropical lowlands that favours evergreen forest edge and verdant second growth.


They forage unobtrusively at all levels in trees and bushes, usually in pairs. The sexes are alike and are velvety black overall with a bright bluish-white bill and a glossy crimson collar and rump. Cornell All About Birds


All in all, a very colourful bird to observe.