Sulphur-rumped Tanager

How to find it

Expect it to take effort. One birder spent two days searching at Veragua without success, then on a later trip was pointed by staff to the likeliest territory, reached by riding the aerial tram down. Check mixed-species flocks in Caribbean foothill forest, since one guide found a good flock at about 200 m that included this tanager. Scan the upper and middle levels of trees, and watch forest edges and clearings. One birder who checked the Calle Cahuita area saw none but thought they should still be possible there, so plan on repeat visits to southern Caribbean sites.

How to recognise it

Males and females look alike, which keeps identification simple. The head and body are mostly grayish. Two marks make the bird stand out:

A large, obvious yellow rump patch.

White patches on the sides of the breast.

Watch for the rump when the bird turns or flies, and for the white breast-side patches when it perches in good light. It forages in the upper and middle levels of trees, so you will often see it from below. It is unlikely to be confused with other species once you get a decent view.

Behaviour and diet

It usually travels in pairs or small family groups. These groups may briefly join mixed-species flocks, so a passing wave of birds is worth scanning carefully.

It eats fruit and arthropods and forages in the upper and middle levels of trees, so binoculars pointed into the canopy and mid-levels are the way to watch it. At Veragua, researchers found a nest on a palm frond about 5 m up and watched the nesting pair mostly in the morning.

Where it lives

This is a bird of forest and wooded areas on the Caribbean slope between Costa Rica and Panama, including clearings. It mostly uses forest edge, secondary forest and semi-open areas, and it stays below about 900 m.

In Costa Rica it is found only in the South Caribbean region. A nest at Veragua Rainforest Reserve in Limón province was found at about 425 m, and one guide found a flock that included this species at about 200 m.

Similar birds

It is unlikely to be confused with other species. The similar Scarlet-browed Tanager lives in a separate range, so the two do not overlap. The two were once treated as one species, and were split because the males' plumage differs sharply.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The Spanish name used in Costa Rica is Tangara Lomiazufrada. Another Spanish name listed for the species is Frutero de Espalda Amarilla.

Status and conservation

The AOCR lists it as a resident endemic (R-END), and the Museo Nacional says it is threatened in Costa Rica.

Photography tips

A nest is a chance for a close view. At Veragua, researchers watched a nesting pair with binoculars from only 5 to 10 m away, mostly in the morning, with the nest on a palm frond about 5 m up.