Black-throated Shrike-Tanager

Overview

The black-throated shrike-tanager (Lanio aurantius) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with an estimated population of 20,000 to 50,000 mature individuals that is currently believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Males possess a bright yellow body with black head, nape, throat, wings, and tail, featuring white tips on the lesser wing coverts.
• Females have a grey head with an olive tinge on the crown, tawny-brown upperparts, and a yellow breast and belly with an olive wash on the breast and flanks.
• Both sexes measure 19 to 20 cm in length and have dark brown irises, blackish legs, and a shrike-like 'toothed' bill with a hooked end.
• The song is described as a loud, two-part 'cheep-two!' or 'peep-two-tu'tu'tu'tu'tu'tu', often accompanied by a clear whistled 'peee'uuuu'.

Habitat

This species inhabits humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests on the Gulf and Caribbean slopes, ranging from central Veracruz in Mexico east through Tabasco and Chiapas, across northern Guatemala and Belize, and into northwestern Honduras. It resides at elevations up to 1,200 m or 1,250 m, depending on the source.

Diet

While its diet has not been extensively studied, it is known to include insects. The bird primarily forages in the mid-levels and canopy of the forest, typically joining mixed-species feeding flocks where it acts as a sentinel and captures prey stirred up by the group with fast acrobatic chases.

Did you know?

The black-throated shrike-tanager was formerly considered conspecific with the white-throated shrike-tanager, though they are now treated as separate species that form a superspecies.