Quite unlike any other member of his species, his orangey belly, cobalt wings, and turquoise spangles really set him apart!

Meet the Spangle-cheeked tanager

“Spangle-cheeked Tanager” by Chris Jimenez – Take Me To The Wild is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped

The spangle–checked tanager is a medium-sized passerine bird measuring around 13 cm (5.1 inches) in length, and weighing in at around 20 g (0.71 ounces). This head is mainly black, while its breast and upper area are a similar color. There is blue scaling on the breast, sides of the face, and neck, while the top of the head has a rufous crown. The wings and tail is edged in blue, the rump is green, and the belly is cinnamon.

“Spangle-cheeked Tanager” by Michael Woodruff is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped

Males and females look very much alike, however, males do have more extensive blue scaling.

Juvenile birds are generally more dollar examples of their male counterparts, with no crown patch and less visible scaly.

“calliste pailleté, spangle-cheeked tanager, tangara caripinta” by Chloe and Trevor Van Loon is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

This bird can be found and is endemic to Costa Rica and Western Panama.

“Spangle-cheeked Tanager” by don r faulkner is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

These birds like to live in the canopy from around 1,200 to 3,000 m (3,900 to 9,800 ft) favoring forests rich with epiphytes. They can also be found at lower levels in semi-open areas, forest edges, and secondary growth.

“IMG_3584” by gary_leavens is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Spangle-cheeked tanager likes to dine on fruit, but will also take insects and spiders. usually swallowed whole.

“File:Tangara dowii -Costa Rica-8 (1).jpg” by Tim from Ithaca is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

These birds build a cup-shaped nest in the breeding season. This is usually placed on a tree fork or on a branch amongst epiphytes. The interior is lined with bromeliad leaves on which two eggs are laid.

“IMG_3580” by gary_leavens is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

This bird is regarded as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

“calliste pailleté, spangle-cheeked tanager, tangara caripinta” by Melissa McMasters is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

You can watch this bird right here in the video below:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=x34HJvVOpgA%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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