Silver-beaked Tanager

The Silver-beaked Tanager is a common songbird of forest edge, riverine thickets, and secondary growth across much of Amazonian South America. Males show a deep, velvety maroon-red to blackish plumage that can appear almost glowing in certain light, paired with a distinctive pale, silvery-white lower mandible that contrasts sharply against the dark plumage and gives the species its common name. Females are duller, showing a more subdued reddish-brown plumage without the male's deep velvety sheen.

Adult male body feathers show a deep, velvety maroon-red tone, particularly rich and almost glowing on the throat and breast, with somewhat blacker tones on the wings, back, and tail. The lower mandible of the bill is pale silvery-white, sharply contrasting with the dark plumage and the darker upper mandible, a diagnostic feature for the species. Females show a duller reddish-brown body plumage lacking the velvety intensity of the male, with a less contrasting, more muted bill pattern.

Adult males retain their deep maroon-red, velvety plumage with the pale bill year-round, with the richest, most saturated color typically shown on fresh feathers after molt. Females maintain their duller reddish-brown plumage consistently through the year. Immatures generally resemble females before males acquire the deeper adult coloration through molt.

Silver-beaked Tanagers inhabit forest edge, riverine thickets, secondary growth, and scrubby clearings across the Amazon basin and adjacent regions of South America. The species is a year-round resident throughout its range, favoring disturbed or edge habitats over deep forest interior.

This species forages for fruit and insects in low to mid-level vegetation at forest edge and in clearings, often in pairs or small groups. The voice includes simple, sharp calls and a modest warbled song. Nests are cup-shaped, placed in dense vegetation for cover. Silver-beaked Tanagers are often conspicuous at forest edges and clearings, where the male's deep maroon-red plumage and pale bill make for a distinctive combination once seen well.