Azure Shouldered Tanager

Copyright: monacoeye • All rights reserved • Serra dos Tucanos, Brazil • 2011

Bird name: Azure Shouldered Tanager
Latin: Tangara cyanoptera
Other: Sanhaçu-de-encontro-azul (Br)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers
Range: SE Brazil - Atlantic forest
Similar: Sayaca Tanager

The Azure-shouldered Tanager is very similar to the Sayaca Tanager, but in practice quite easy to differentiate. It has dusky lores (Sayaca doesn’t) and a bright blue shoulder mark. There is no overlap with Blue-grey Tanager.

Serra dos Tucanos Lodge north of Rio was a good place to see the Azure-shouldered Tanager - it visits the fruit feeders.

Below, Azure-shouldered Tanager showing characteristic dusky lores.


Below, Azure-shouldered Tanager at Serra dos Tucanos lodge, September.