Black-faced Tanager - BirdForum Opus

Schistochlamys melanopis

Photo by Rogerio Araújo Dias
Photographed at Brasilia, Brazil

Identification

• Plumage mostly grey
• Black forehead, face and bib
• Bill: blue-grey with a darker tip.
  

The subspecies varies in how black the mask is.

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil

Taxonomy

Ssp. grisea
Photo by Stanley Jones
Terrapoto, San Martin, Peru, Dec-2016

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized^[1]:

• S. m. aterrima:

• North-eastern Colombia to Venezuela, western Guyana and extreme northern Brazil

• S. m. melanopis:

• Eastern Guyana to Suriname, French Guiana and north-eastern Brazil

• S. m. grisea:

• Subtropical Central Andes of Peru

• S. m. olivina:

• Eastern Bolivia to Paraguay and south-central Brazil (Mato Grosso)

• S. m. amazonica:

• Amazonian and south-eastern Brazil

Habitat

Open areas with bushes and low scrubby trees.

Behaviour

The diet includes fruits, berries, seeds and some small insects ants.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. Avibase
3. Arthur Grosset

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-faced Tanager. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-faced_Tanager

External Links

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