Bird
Silver-beaked Tanager
Ramphocelus carbo
Photo: DiogoKanoute · Brazil (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Silver-beaked Tanager is one of the most distinctive and abundant tanagers of Trinidad's forest edges, gardens, and secondary growth, the male a deep, velvety crimson-maroon bird with a bright silver-white lower mandible that gleams conspicuously when the bill is opened. One of the defining birds of T&T's domestic gardens and forest margins, the silver-beaked tanager is commonly seen in pairs or small groups foraging in fruiting trees and ornamental plantings throughout both islands.
Identification
The Silver-beaked Tanager is 17 to 19 cm long. Adult males have deep velvety dark crimson to maroon-red plumage across the entire body, with a slightly darker back and wings. The most striking feature is the bill: the lower mandible is silvery-white and inflated in profile, contrasting sharply with the dark upper mandible and giving the bird its name. The eye is red. Females are distinctly duller: brownish-red above with a paler reddish-brown breast and less prominent bill contrast. Pairs often forage together, and the contrast between the vivid male and duller female is characteristic.
Ecology
Silver-beaked Tanagers are primarily frugivores, feeding on a wide range of small fruits and berries from garden plants, secondary growth, and forest edge trees. They also take nectar and insects, particularly when feeding chicks. They are bold and conspicuous birds, regularly visiting garden feeders where fruit is provided, and are often one of the first tanager species seen by visitors to T&T. Pairs maintain loose territories around productive fruiting trees. Nests are deep cups built in a tree or shrub, typically at low to moderate height, with both sexes sharing incubation.
Status in T&T
The Silver-beaked Tanager is found on both Trinidad and Tobago and is one of the most numerous birds in gardens, secondary growth, and forest edges across both islands. It is fully protected under the Conservation of Wild Life Act and is not a game species. Its tolerance of modified and garden habitats makes it resilient to the level of urbanisation typical of T&T's residential landscapes.
Threats
- Garden pesticide use reducing insect prey
- Nest predation by introduced rats and mongooses