Yellow-winged Tanager

Thraupis abbas

 

eBird describes the Yellow-winged Tanager like this:  Fairly common in tropical lowlands and foothills, favoring forest edge and woodland, as well as semi-open areas such as towns and gardens with larger trees. Mainly feeds at mid-upper levels in trees, eating fruit, and perches readily on phone wires. Often appears rather dull, but yellow square on black wings is a good field mark; in good light, lilac plumage tones can be appreciated. Often in the same areas as Blue-gray Tanager, and the calls of the two species are also rather similar.

I saw this bird for the first time on the morning of November 18, 2024, at the Lamanai Outpost Lodge during my trip to Belize with The Texas Ornithological Society.  I also saw a number of this species during my time at Blackrock Lodge, as they were quite common at both of the lodges.  The bird is rather nondescript and does not stand out but the yellow spot on the wings makes it easy to identify once you know where to look.  I got a number of good looks at this bird, as evidenced by some of my photos below.