Will the real Tanager please raise its wings!

2/8/2026

Yes, it is the Bananaquit, a member of the Tanager family! (With apologies to "To Tell the Truth").

This is my 4th blog post from our recent trip to Costa Rica, and this post is devoted to one avian family, the Tanager, or Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes (songbirds).

Tanagers reside in the Neotropics, from southern Mexico to the tip of South America. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes 392 tanager species, distributed among 107 genera. Confusingly, only 149 of these species, less than half, are called "tanager". Another 108 are called "finch", with the rest having names including banaquit, honeycreeper, dacnis, saltator, bullfinch, seedeater, hemispingus, conebill, flowerpiercer and yellow cardinal!

To make matters worse, of the four "tanagers" living in the U.S. (i.e., Summer, Scarlet, Western and Hepatic) none of them are in the Tanager family - they are all in the Cardinal family! Ohhh boy!

Below is a family tree of the "True Tanagers". All the species that are in the tanager family are on the far left of the frame. To the right, in the blue box, are species that were in the tanager family, but because of genetic analysis have now been moved out. To the left of center is the Fringillidae family, with two genera that together hold 35 species of euphonia and cholophonia. On the right are three genera of the Cardinal family that hold all the "tanagers" that we see in the U.S. plus others that are in the neotropics. (Ref: Content for the family tree from Wikipedia, Tanager.)

The upshot? True Tanagers are neotropical birds living well south of us, with a lot of them in, you guessed it, Costa Rica. So let's see what true tanagers look like, along with a review of the four species with tanager in the name that we enjoy north of the Rio Grande.

Warning, there are 19 species in this post! Top up your coffee and let's go!

An abbreviated Tanager Family Tree, showing to the right in the blue box those species moved to other families for genetic reasons, but often retaining "tanager" in their names.

Let's start with birds in the Tanager family (Thraupidae).

Crimson-collared Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/500sec., f/7.1, ISO 16000.

The Crimson-collared Tanager is a strikingly beautiful bird with bold black and red markings and a pale bill. The male and female are identical in appearance. They live in humid lowland forests. These images were captured in the rain forest at Selva Verde Lodge early on the morning of November 3rd. Crimson-collared Tanagers eat fruit and insects. Here they are feeding on bananas put out with the feeders.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 400mm, 1/250sec., f/7.1, ISO 10000.

Above, presumably an immature bird has gathered banana fruit, but rather than eat it, passes it to an adult, perhaps mom or dad, and then waits to be fed.

I find it intersting that the bird on the left could have eaten the banana without help, but passed it to the adult first, reinforcing their parent/offspring relationship.

Feeding complete, the pair pose for a photo.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/320sec., f/8.0, ISO 6400.

The Scarlet-rumped Tanager is a gregarious bird that lives on the Caribbean slope of Central America, eating fruit and insects. The male is black, with a scarlet rump and back. With the black wings parted, seen above and below, we can see the red rump and back.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/800sec., f/7.1, ISO 16000.

The female, shown below, is a mix of gray, yellow/orange, reddish brown and black, with variations by sub-species. I find the colors and detail quite striking.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/400sec., f/8.0, ISO 6400.

Blue-gray Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/200sec., f/7.1, ISO 10000.

The Blue-gray Tanager is a bird of the humid lowland neotropics, preferring semi-open habitats and frequenting forest edges along roads and rivers in plantations and urban parks and gardens. Blue-gray Tanagers eat a variety of fruit and arthropods, and were common visitors at the Selva Verde lodge feeders while we waited for breakfast.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 343mm, 1/800sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 363mm, 1/200sec., f/7.1, ISO 10000.

The Blue-gray Tanager has a gray head that fades to blue on the back and wings with intricate blue/green details.

Palm Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 300mm, 1/320sec., f/5.6, ISO 12800.

The Palm Tanager is similar to the Blue-gray Tanager, although less likely to colonize urban centers. The Palm Tanager is common at forest borders, but also inhabits the canopy of the forest interior. Their diet is balanced between fruit and arthropods. They usually travel in pairs or small groups.

Although the species is described as drab in appearance, the bird captured here has subtle blue and green details on the wings.

These images were captured in the rain. The bird is visibly wet, adding texture and detail to the feathers.

Below we can see that portions of the wings are black, creating a straight line and then merging with the black tail feathers.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/500sec., f/8.0, ISO 6400.

Plain-colored Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/800sec., f/7.1, ISO 6400.

The Plain-colored Tanager is perhaps the most drab of genus Tangara Tanagers, most of which have colorful, metallic and opalescent plumage (Ref: Birds of the World). The Plain-colored Tanager feeds on fruit and insects and is commonly found in the forest canopy, woodland edges, second growth and gallery forest, as well as shaded cacao plantations.

Although the Plain-colored Tanager is a Costa Rican bird, these images were captured close to sea level in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama, in the Caribbean in March of 2024.

For more on that Panama trip click on this link to the first of three blog posts on Panama, Bocas del Toro, March 2024: Part 1, Mountains, or click on the image to the right of a Rufous-collared Sparrow, spotted in the mountains of Panama.

Below, the Plain-colored Tanager, with the neck, breast and belly, looking, well . . plain.

Canon R7, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/800sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000.

Silver-throated Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/4000sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000.

Silver-throated Tanagers are brightly colored birds of the tropical evergreen forests from the lowlands to the mountains. They eat a variety of fruits as well as some insects. Little is known about their behavior, population dynamics or demography (Ref: Birds of the World).

These images were captured on November 6, 2025 at 7600 feet in the Talamanca cloud forest.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/2000sec., f/7.1, ISO 3200.

So far we have been looking at "true tanagers", colorful (with one exception!) birds with "tanager" in their name who are bona fide members of the tanager family.

Next, let's stick with the "true tanagers" but look at just a few of the dozens that bear names that may surprise you!

Green Honeycreeper

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/500sec., f/7.1, ISO 8000.

Green Honeycreepers are tanagers that favor the canopy of humid lowland rainforests. These images were captured on November 3rd and 4th in the Sarapiqui rainforest, our second stop on the November 2025 trip. Green Honeycreepers eat mostly fruit, but also eat small insects and nectar. This species is widespread and common in Central and South America, yet little is known about many aspects of its natural history (Ref: Birds of the World)

Above and below are photographs of the male with a black cap and mask, decurved bill, yellow on the lower mandible, and feathers that vary from blue (above) to green (below). The male below is visibly wet.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/160sec., f/7.1, ISO 10000.

Above and below, female Green Honeycreepers. Females can be totally green, or have a mix of green and blue feathers.

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 300mm, 1/500sec., f/6.3, ISO 10000.

Red-legged Honeycreepers eat fruit, insects and nectar. They favor flowering trees at forest edges, as well as coffee and cacao plantations. The male is a brilliant blue with a black mask, and black markings on the neck and wings. Above, two males face off showing their neck and head feathers. Below, a male perched in the Sarapiqui rainforest showing off bright blue wing markings. Males and females have bright red legs, a striking feature and an easy identifier.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 223mm, 1/500sec., f/5.0, ISO 10000.

Below, a male flying into a nectar feeder, showing off brilliant yellow markings on the flight feathers.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 186mm, 1/400sec., f/5.0, ISO 10000.

Below, a female Red-legged Honeycreeper with various shades of yellow and dark wing markings. The mature females will have red legs but duller than the males.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 451mm, 1/1000sec., f/6.3, ISO 6400.

Below, a male faces off against either a female or perhaps an immature male with yellow plumage and bright red legs.

Shining Honeycreeper

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/320sec., f/7.1, ISO 12800.

At first glance the Shining Honeycreeper looks like the male Red-legged, but without the blue markings on the back, and of course, with bright yellow legs!

Shining Honeycreepers favor tropical lowland evergreen forests, typically foraging in the canopy (Ref: Birds of the World)

Above and below, a male Shining Honeycreeper showing feather detail on the back, tail, and head/neck.

Shining Honeycreepers like nectar, and here are hanging onto the wire holding the feeders.

Above and below, a female Shining Honeycreeper at a feeder, Sarapiqui rainforest.

Bananaquit

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/2000sec., f/7.1, ISO 20000.

A tanager, really? Yup - hey, what's in a name?

Bananaquits live from Mexico and the Caribbean all the way south to Argentina. They sport a down-curved bill, black upperparts, a bright yellow breast and belly and a striking white eyebrow. The species has no less than 41 recognized subspecies with variations in throat color (white, gray or black), the white wing spot, and the extent of yellow on the underparts. They eat nectar and fruit, favoring flowering trees and shrubs.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 128mm, 1/2000sec., f/8.0, ISO 10000.

The images here were captured at Dave & Dave's Costa Rica Nature Park in the Sarapiqui rainforest on November 3rd.

Blue Dacnis

Canon R6, RF 100-500mm at 472mm, 1/400sec., f/7.1, ISO 6400.

The Blue Dacnis is yes, another tanager, who lives in humid lowland forests from Honduras south to Argentina. The male is a stunning bright turquoise blue with black wing and tail markings, and the female is mostly green with a blue crown. They eat nectar and insects in the tops of trees. These photographs were captured in March of 2024 on an island on the Panama Caribbean coast near Bocas del Toro.

I was standing very close to the tree where this pair was foraging. We can see the birds peering up looking for insects on the underside of leaves.

Above and below, a female Blue Dacnis.

Buff-throated Saltator

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250sec., f/7.1, ISO 4000.

Well, here is a "true tanager" that used to be a cardinal! The Buff-throated Saltator was traditionally grouped with cardinals and grosbeaks (gosh, he does look a bit like a grosbeak . . ) but recent research has moved the Buff-throated Saltator into the tanager family.

Buff-throated Saltators favor the edges of humid lowland forests and feed mostly on fruits, some seeds and occasional ants and wasps (Ref: Birds of the World).

The sexes are similar in appearance. These images were captured in the rainforest on November 3rd.

Well, that's it for the "true tanagers" !

Here come Six Cardinal Family members - all with Tanager on their name tag! Oh boy, family reunions are getting really confusing!

Flame-colored Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/400sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000.

Flame-colored Tanagers are members of the Cardinal family who live in the highlands of Central America with occasional visits as far north as the mountains of SE Arizona. Males are orange or red with black wings with white wing bars. Females are olive above with dusky streaks and yellow below with a wing pattern similar to the male. They eat a variety of fruits and insects in the mid-story and canopy.

The image above was captured on November 7th in the cloud forest of the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica at ~8,000 feet. The images that follow below were captured in March of 2024 in Panama at ~3500 feet, near the continental divide.

Canon R7, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/800sec., f/8.0, ISO 640.

Red-throated Ant-tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250sec., f/7.1, ISO 2000.

Red-throated Ant-Tanagers live in humid regions on the Atlantic side of SE Mexico, Central America and northern Columbia. They eat fruit in large quantities as well as insects, including swarms of army ants, especially in their northern range. These images were captured on November 3rd in the rain forest of Costa Rica.

The male, shown here, is a dusky red with a bright red throat, dark face, and a red crown, seen above and below.

Hepatic Tanager

Canon R6, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/500sec., f/7.1, ISO 32000.

The Hepatic Tanager lives year round from northern Mexico all the way south to Argentina, with some migration for breeding from Mexico into Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. See the range map to the right from All About Birds.

Males are brick red to red-orange brightest on the crown and throat, with dark lores, grayish ear coverts, flanks and back. Adult females are olive-yellow to orange-yellow on the forecrown, throat and underparts.

They eat insects and fruit.

Although Hepatic Tanagers are residents of Central and South America, all these images are from SE Arizona on their northern breeding range. The image above was captured at Cave Creek Ranch in Portal, Arizona in April of 2023 (a male in breeding plumage), and the image below from Mt. Lemmon in October of 2021.

Canon R6, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/1000sec., f/7.1, ISO 4000, +0.67 EV.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 300mm, 1/3200sec., f/7.1, ISO 2000.

Above, a male from Madera Canyon in January 2025, and below a female from the Southwestern Research Station in Cave Creek Canyon, Chiricahua Mountains, in May of 2018.

Canon 7D MkII, EF 100-400mm with 1.4x III ext., at 560mm, 1/800sec., f/8.0, ISO 640, +0.67 EV.

Scarlet Tanager

Canon R6, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x ext., at 700mm, 1/4000sec., f/11, ISO 10000, +1.33 EV.

Scarlet Tanagers are long range migrants, wintering in South America and breeding in the northern U.S. and Canada. The photographs shown here were all captured during their northern migration. The images above and below were taken in NW Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie in May of 2022, the third photo below was taken at High Island on the Bolivar Peninsula in SE Texas in April of 2019.

Scarlet Tanagers eat a variety of insects during their breeding season. During migration and on their winter range they eat fruit as well as insects.

Source: Birds of the World

Canon 7D Mk II, EF 100-400mm with 1.4x III Ext.,at 560mm, 1/800sec., f/8.0, ISO 6400.

Summer Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/4000sec., f/7.1, ISO 3200.

Summer Tanagers winter from southern Mexico to South America, and breed across northern Mexico and the U.S. This species is known for eating bees and wasps on wintering and breeding grounds, as well as fruit. Males are bright rosy-red, females yellow to mustard yellow.

The image above was captured at the Paton Center in Patagonia, AZ, in August of 2025. This is a male that appears to be molting following breeding earlier in the summer. The image below was captured at Cave Creek Canyon in April of 2021.

If you ever wondered why Arizona birding festivals are in the heat of the summer, breeding is the reason. A number of tropical species will come north to the U.S. just for breeding, then return south.

Source: Birds of the World

Canon R6, RF 100-400mm with 1.3x III ext., at 560mm, 1/2000sec., f/8.0, ISO 6400, +1.67 EV.

Below, a female Summer Tanager at a feeder at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia, AZ, August 2025.

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/400sec., f/7.1, ISO 2500, +0.33 EV.

Western Tanager

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/1000sec., f/10, ISO 800.

Western Tanagers winter as far south as Central America, and breed north in the western U.S. and Canada as far north as 60 degrees, where they may spend as little as two months on their breeding grounds. Although the male is strikingly bright, the species favors forest shade, generally keeping the bird out of sight. The image above was a rare sighting on the Meadow Trail on Mt Lemmon in June of 2025. Below we see a female perched on a railing in Summerhaven in June of 2013.

The Western Tanager feeds on insects during the breeding season, adding fruits and berries other times of year.

Canon 20D, EF 70-300mm at 150mm, 1/250sec., f/5.6, ISO 400.

Eighteen species so far, one more to go!
Let's finish with probably the cutest bird in this series . . . .

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Canon R5 MkII, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250sec., f/7.1, ISO 3200.

Why this species here? Well, the Yellow-throated Euphonia is another former Tanager who got reassigned, not to the Cardinal family, but to its own Family, Fringillidae, Genus Euphonia. Here we see a male with a short bill, stubby tail, bluish/black above and yellow below. The female is yellow or yellowish green.
(Ref: Birds of the World).

These images were captured at the Nest Nature Center in the Costa Rican foothills at ~2000 feet on November 2, 2025. The Yellow-throated Euphonia eats fruit, mostly mistletoe as well as a variety of berries.

That's all for now!
Spring is coming, keep your eye out for new arrivals from the south!

Happy trails!

2 Comments

Kent Safford

2/10/2026 11:16:11 am

Excellent blog, Henry. One of your best. I didn’t know our tanagers were in the cardinal family. Magnificent photos!

Henry C. Johnson

2/10/2026 11:36:35 am

Kent: Many thanks. I got more interested in the Tanager family when we went to Costa Rica. I did not realize how big the family was, or that it was basically a family of the Neotropics, from southern Mexico to the tip of South America. Or, that our "tanagers" here in the U.S. are not in the tanager family!

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