ML110262811

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

This was a small to medium-sized passerine that, despite our never seeing it with another bird, appeared to be similar in size and shape to a Western Tanager. Overall, this was a relatively small bird with a rounded head of medium-size, a plump body with a roughly diagonal posture, medium-length wings, and a tail that was about as long as the body without the head. The conspicuously short, stubby bill tapered from a heavy base to a blunt tip along a culmen that was noticeably decurved. My impression was that the bill would have extended backward on the face to a point not much behind the eye, so this bird's bill was both shorter and less massive than that of a Summer Tanager. Moreover, this bird had a smoothly rounded head that lacked the domed appearance that is typical of a Summer Tanager, and its head may also have been proportionately a little smaller relative to the body than that of a Summer Tanager. The wings were of medium-length, but I cannot recall noting in the field either the primary projection or the placement of the wingtips relative to either the tail or the undertail coverts. The tail was slightly flared and the tip was weakly notched. Given the short time I spent studying this bird in the field, my views were better for differentiating the overall plumage patterns than for noting some of the finer details. Nevertheless, I was easily able to identify this bird and I was even able to assess most of the detail, even if a few things evaded me while in the field. This bird stood out as having the head and upperparts a relatively bright green color that contrasted with both the clear, lemon-yellow color of the underparts and the conspicuously dark wings. As far as I could determine, the head and both the sides and back of the neck were uniformly olive-green, as were the back, scapulars, and rump. I noted no indication of a face pattern, nor did I detect any markings on the upperparts. The dark wings contrasted conspicuously with the brighter green of the back, but closer inspection further revealed that the secondary coverts were uniformly dark olive. I noted neither black nor obviously brown feathers among the wing coverts, but I cannot say that I noted the primary coverts in the field. The remiges were about as dark as the coverts; however, they showed a moderately obvious contrast between centers that were dark brown and fringes that were generally about the same olive shade as the back (though the fringes on at least some of the longer secondaries faded to whitish distally). I thought the primaries had a pattern of fringing that was similar to that on the secondaries, but I was less sure if these fringes extended around the tips of the feathers. The upperside of the tail was about the same shade of dark brown as the remiges, and these feathers were likewise fringed with greenish. Although it had been suggested to me that the underparts were dingy whitish apart from brighter yellow undertail-coverts, I detected little contrast on the underparts, which to me appeared to be lemon-yellow almost throughout, and they tended more towards green than buff or orange. The undertail coverts were a slightly brighter shade of yellow than the rest of the underparts, but the contrast was subtle. I was less sure if the flanks were duller than the belly, and I failed altogether to note in the field the color of the underside of the tail. Much like a Western Tanager, this bird had conspicuous, orange tones to a bill that was duskier along the culmen. I noted the color of the eyes only as dark, but the legs and feet stood out as being an odd shade of medium gray.

Technical information

Dimensions

3012 pixels x 2333 pixels

Original file size

1.97 MB