Speckled Tanager

The Speckled Tanager is a small, densely patterned member of the diverse tanager family, named for the fine black speckling that covers its otherwise yellow-green plumage. The head and underparts are bright greenish-yellow, while the back is more olive, and both areas are marked with a scattering of small black spots and crescents that give the bird a scaly or speckled appearance overall.

The wings and tail are edged with turquoise or greenish-blue, adding a subtle shimmer to the overall pattern, and the face shows a somewhat plain, unmarked look framed by the finely spotted crown and cheeks.

Like many tanagers, it is highly social outside the breeding season, frequently traveling in small groups or joining mixed-species foraging flocks that move through the mid-story and canopy of forest edges and clearings.

Key field marks

• Yellow-green overall plumage densely covered in small black spots and crescents
• Olive back contrasting with brighter yellow-green underparts
• Turquoise-blue edging on the wings and tail
• Small size and compact tanager shape

Similar species

Spotted Tanager is similar but has bolder, more extensive black spotting and a different range at higher elevations in places; Golden Tanager and Bay-headed Tanager lack the fine speckled pattern entirely. Careful attention to the density and shape of the black markings separates Speckled Tanager from its close relatives.

Habitat

This species favors humid forest edge, secondary growth, plantations such as cacao and coffee, and semi-open woodland rather than deep forest interior.

Range

It occurs in northern South America, including parts of Venezuela, the Guianas, Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Brazil, generally in lowland and foothill regions.

Migration

The Speckled Tanager is a non-migratory resident, though it may wander locally in search of fruiting trees.

Behavior

Speckled Tanagers are active and social, usually seen in pairs or small groups that often join mixed-species foraging flocks moving through forest edge and canopy vegetation.

Voice

Its calls are thin, high-pitched, and rather nondescript compared to other tanagers, typically a series of soft 'tsip' or 'seet' notes given in flight or while foraging.

Feeding

It feeds by gleaning fruit and insects from leaves and branches in the mid-story and canopy, often hanging or reaching acrobatically to reach food items.

Nesting and breeding

Like most tanagers, it builds an open cup nest placed in a tree or shrub, where the female incubates the eggs and both parents help feed the nestlings once hatched.