Black-and-yellow Tanager

The black-and-yellow tanager, a diminutive passerine bird, graces the hills of Costa Rica and Panama with its vivid plumage. The adult male is particularly striking, with a bright yellow head, rump, and underparts, contrasted by a black back, wings, and tail. The wing linings are a pristine white. Females and immatures are more subdued in coloration, with the females sporting olive upperparts and yellow underparts.

Identification Tips

Males are unmistakable with their black and yellow coloration. The subspecies C. c. ocularis is noted for a distinctive black spot on the lores. Females could be confused with warblers or the female yellow-backed tanager, but can be distinguished by their color pattern and throat and belly markings, especially in the Costa Rican and extreme western Panamanian populations.

Habitat

This tanager favors the canopy of wet forests and tall second growth. It is also known to venture to woodland edges and clearings to feed.

Distribution

The black-and-yellow tanager is found from the Caribbean to the Pacific slopes of Costa Rica and Panama, at altitudes ranging from 450 to 1,200 meters. It has also been spotted in Colombia's Chocó department near the Panamanian border.

Behaviour

These tanagers are sociable, often seen in small groups or joining mixed-species feeding flocks. They are primarily frugivorous but also consume insects and spiders.

Song & Calls

The call of the black-and-yellow tanager is a distinctive, scratchy 'tsew', which is higher and faster than the call of the silver-throated tanager.

Breeding

The species constructs a neat cup nest on a tree branch. However, the eggs of the black-and-yellow tanager remain undescribed.

Similar Species

The female black-and-yellow tanager could be mistaken for a warbler or a female yellow-backed tanager but can be differentiated by her throat and belly coloration, particularly in certain subspecies.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of small fruits, which are typically swallowed whole, as well as insects and spiders.

Conservation status

The black-and-yellow tanager is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating that it currently faces no significant threats to its survival.