Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager
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Quick Facts
- Scientific Name: Anisognathus melanogenys
- Spanish Name: Tangara montañero carinegro
- Family: Thraupidae
- Known Nicknames: Black-cheeked Mountain Finch
- Average Length: 18 cm / 7.1 in
- Average Weight: 40–50 g / 1.4–1.8 oz
- Wingspan: N/A
- Key Feature: Bright yellow underparts contrasting with a black cheek patch and blue crown
- Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore and Insectivore
- Range: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
- Habitat: Montane cloud forest and elfin forest, 1800–3000 m
- Social Structure: Often seen in pairs or small flocks
- Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest in tree fork or shrub
- Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
- Population Trend: Stable
The Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager (*Anisognathus melanogenys*) is a strikingly vibrant songbird endemic to the high-altitude cloud forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. Its most distinctive feature is its bold, velvety black cheek patch that starkly contrasts with a brilliant turquoise-blue body and a bright yellow crown and belly, giving it a regal, jewel-like appearance. This species possesses a specialized, slightly curved bill perfectly adapted for plucking small fruits and insects from moss-laden branches, and it often forages in noisy, mixed-species flocks. A unique special feature is its restricted range; it is found nowhere else on Earth, making it a coveted sight for birdwatchers and a flagship species for the conservation of Colombia's isolated, biodiverse mountain ecosystems.
Fun Facts
Despite its vivid blue-and-yellow plumage, the black-cheeked mountain tanager has a surprisingly subtle and quirky feeding habit: it often hangs upside-down like a chickadee to pluck insects and fruit from the undersides of leaves, a behavior rare among tanagers. Its stout, slightly hooked bill is uniquely adapted for cracking open hard seeds and tough berries found in the high-altitude cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela, allowing it to exploit food sources other birds ignore. Males also perform a peculiar “wing-flick” display during courtship, rapidly raising and lowering both wings in a synchronized flutter that reveals hidden white patches, possibly to signal fitness or dazzle potential mates.
Habitats & Distribution
This tanager is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia, where it is restricted to a very small geographical range. It inhabits the humid montane forests, cloud forests, and forest edges on the upper slopes of this isolated mountain range, typically occurring at elevations between 1,800 and 3,000 meters. The species is most often found in the mossy, epiphyte-laden canopy and subcanopy of these high-altitude environments, where it forages for insects and fruit.
Behaviours & Reproduction
Black-cheeked Mountain Tanagers are typically observed in small, loose flocks or as pairs, suggesting a monogamous social structure during the breeding season. Their reproductive behavior is poorly documented but aligns with many high-altitude tanagers; they build cup-shaped nests in dense vegetation, where females lay two to three eggs. Both parents share incubation duties and actively feed the chicks, a cooperative strategy likely essential for survival in the cool, resource-scarce Andean cloud forests. No unique reproductive strategies, such as cooperative breeding or brood parasitism, have been recorded for this species.
Diet
The Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager is primarily frugivorous, with fruit making up the bulk of its diet, but it is also an opportunistic omnivore that actively forages for insects, spiders, and other small arthropods, particularly during the breeding season to meet higher protein demands. Interesting aspects of its feeding behavior include a strong preference for mistletoe berries and other small, soft fruits found in the high-altitude cloud forests of Colombia, and it often joins mixed-species foraging flocks, where it uses its stout, black bill to glean prey from mossy branches and epiphytes. Additionally, this tanager has been observed consuming nectar from flowers, supplementing its diet with sugary energy sources when fruit is scarce.
Colors
The Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager has a striking black face, throat, and central breast, sharply contrasting with a bright yellow crown, nape, and underparts. Its back and wings are olive-green, with blue shoulders and a blue rump, while the tail is dark. This bold pattern provides disruptive camouflage in dappled Andean forest light, breaking up its silhouette against foliage and shadows.
Distribution Map
Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.
