Priorities for Future Research

Parker et al. (1996) list the research priority for White-bellied Dacnis as "high" compared to other Neotropical birds. The range expansion in Pará Brazil should be monitored to determine if it was an anomoly, an isolated population, or perhaps a contiguous distribution. More information on reproduction in White-bellied Dacnis is needed. We still do not know the phylogenetic relationships among species of Dacnis (Burns et al. 2014); a phylogenomic approach is likely needed for this recent radiation of tanagers. Likewise, plumage and vocalization variation within this species may point towards hidden diversity, and the extent of divergence among different White-bellied Dacnis populations would inform potential conservation efforts.