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Tangara icterocephala

Silver-throated Tanager

  • Order: Passeriformes
  • Family: Thraupidae
  • Polytypic 3 Subspecies

Authors: Lane-Roberts, Ashley, and Kevin J. Burns

Tangara icterocephala

Mirador de Catarata, Cinchona, Costa Rica, 24 June 2007 © Christopher L. Wood

Silver-throated Tanagers are brightly-colored, tropical birds found from Costa Rica to Ecuador. There are three subspecies,  which all occur in tall second growth forest as well as in mossy forest, montane evergreen forest and tropical lowland evergreen forest (Isler and Isler 1987, Stotz et al. 1996). They eat a variety of fruits as well as some insects. They are usually found in mated pairs, but they often join small intraspecific flocks or large mixed species flocks when foraging. Little is known about their behavior, population dynamics and demography. Although the conservation status of the Silver-throated Tanager is listed by the IUCN as  of "Least Concern," there is little to no information on the population size or the population trends in this species.

Recommended Citation

Lane-Roberts, Ashley, and Kevin J. Burns. 2010. Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara icterocephala), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=613676

This map is based on maps available from the NatureServe InfoNatura website, for the distribution in Central America and/or Caribbean, and on a map provided by Robert S. Ridgely, for the South American distribution.

The data for the InforNatura maps are provided by NatureServe in collaboration with Robert Ridgely, James Zook, The Nature Conservancy - Migratory Bird Program, Conservation International - CABS, World Wildlife Fund - US, and Environment Canada - WILDSPACE.

  • Migration/Movement:Resident (nonmigratory)
  • Primary Habitat:Montane evergreen forest
  • Foraging Strata:Canopy
  • Foraging Behavior:Glean
  • Diet:Omnivorous
  • Sociality:Mixed Flocks
  • Mating System:Monogamy
  • Nest Form:Cup
  • Clutch: 2 - 2
  • IUCN Status:Least Concern