Silver-throated Tanager

Tangara icterocephala

eBird gives this description for the Silver-throated Tanager:  Small tanager, overall lemon-yellow but not super bright; usually looks a bit dirty. Distinctive silvery throat; also note green edges on wing feathers and black streaks on back. Sexes similar; females a bit duller than males. Common and active; usually found in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with larger mixed feeding flocks. Tends to be found in more open areas such as forest edges or gardens, but also in forest canopy. Feeds on fruit.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Silver-throated Tanager with this descriptive information:  Silver-throated Tanagers are brightly-colored, tropical birds found from Costa Rica to Ecuador. There are three subspecies,  which all occur in tall second growth forest as well as in mossy forest, montane evergreen forest and tropical lowland evergreen forest (Isler and Isler 1987, Stotz et al. 1996). They eat a variety of fruits as well as some insects. They are usually found in mated pairs, but they often join small intraspecific flocks or large mixed species flocks when foraging. Little is known about their behavior, population dynamics and demography. Although the conservation status of the Silver-throated Tanager is listed by the IUCN as  of “Least Concern,” there is little to no information on the population size or the population trends in this species.

I met this bird for the first time at the Casa Monge Lodge in the Savegre Valley of Costa Rica on the early morning of February 8, 2023.  After watching a Resplendent Quetzal, I was walking back to our vehicle when I spotted the Silver-throated Tanager perched briefly in a large, dense bush.  Fortunately I was able to get a decent photo.