Bay-headed Tanager

The Bay-headed Tanager is one of the most eye-catching members of the Tangara tanager group, combining a warm chestnut-red ('bay') head with a body glowing in shades of turquoise, green, and gold. The crown, face, and throat are a rich reddish-brown, sharply set off from the bright green to turquoise body plumage, while a patch of golden-yellow often shows on the shoulder or lower back depending on the subspecies.

The wings and tail are dark, edged with the same turquoise-green tone as the body, and the overall effect is a strikingly colorful bird even among a family famous for its color. Plumage varies somewhat across its wide range, with subspecies differing in the extent of the golden shoulder patch and the exact shade of body color.

Sexes look alike, and this tanager is typically encountered in small groups moving actively through the canopy, often as part of mixed-species flocks.

Key field marks

• Rich chestnut ('bay') head and throat
• Turquoise-green body plumage, often with a golden patch on the back or shoulder
• Dark wings and tail edged in turquoise
• Sexes similar

Similar species

Rufous-winged Tanager and Rufous-throated Tanager share some chestnut coloring but lack the Bay-headed Tanager's combination of an entirely chestnut head with turquoise-green body. Within its range, the bold, unmistakable head-body color contrast makes it one of the easier Tangara species to identify.

Habitat

It inhabits humid forest canopy, forest edge, and adjacent secondary growth, plantations, and gardens with fruiting trees, from lowlands up into subtropical foothills.

Range

The Bay-headed Tanager ranges from Costa Rica and Panama through Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, and into Bolivia and Brazil, making it one of the more widespread Tangara tanagers.

Migration

It is a non-migratory resident throughout its range, though it may move locally to track fruiting trees.

Behavior

Bay-headed Tanagers are active, social birds usually seen in pairs or small groups, frequently joining mixed-species canopy flocks alongside other tanagers and small forest birds.

Voice

Its calls are thin, high-pitched 'tsip' or 'seet' notes, unremarkable compared to its bright plumage, given while foraging or in flight.

Feeding

It forages mainly for fruit in the canopy and forest edge, supplementing its diet with insects and occasionally nectar, often gleaning or reaching acrobatically among small branches.

Nesting and breeding

The female builds an open cup nest in a tree, typically well concealed among foliage, and incubates the eggs; both parents assist in feeding the nestlings after hatching.