Bird
Bird
Speckled Tanager
Tangara guttata
The Speckled Tanager is a delicately patterned canopy bird of Trinidad's forest, its pale, finely spangled plumage giving it a subtly beautiful, almost frosted appearance quite different from the boldly coloured tanagers more commonly noticed.
The Speckled Tanager is a delicately patterned canopy bird of Trinidad's forest, its pale, finely spangled plumage giving it a subtly beautiful, almost frosted appearance quite different from the boldly coloured tanagers more commonly noticed.
Identification
A small tanager around 12 to 13 cm long, pale yellowish-green overall with fine, dark, crescent-shaped spotting across the head, back, and underparts, giving a speckled or spangled appearance from which the common name derives. The wings show a subtle turquoise-green tone, and the overall pale, finely marked pattern distinguishes it from the more solidly coloured tanagers sharing its canopy habitat.
Ecology
The Speckled Tanager feeds on small fruit and insects, foraging actively in the forest canopy, frequently joining mixed-species foraging flocks alongside other tanagers and honeycreepers as they move through fruiting and flowering trees. It generally remains high in the canopy, making close observation less frequent than for tanagers favouring forest edge or lower strata.
Status in T&T
Found in forest canopy across Trinidad, generally requiring reasonably intact forest. It is not threatened. It is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act and is not a game species.
Threats
- Forest clearance and fragmentation
