The buff-throated saltator is a seed-eating bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It breeds from southeastern Mexico to western Ecuador and northeastern Brazil.
Region
Central America and northern South America
Typical Environment
This species inhabits humid to semi-humid lowlands and foothills, favoring forest edges, second growth, shade coffee, plantations, and well-vegetated gardens. It is particularly common in tangles, hedgerows, and along riparian corridors where fruiting trees and shrubs are abundant. While it enters interior forest, it is most often seen in broken or edge habitats with dense understory. It adapts well to human-modified landscapes provided cover and fruiting plants are available.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The buff-throated saltator is a robust, seed- and fruit-eating tanager found from southeastern Mexico through Central America to western Ecuador and northeastern Brazil. Its rich buff throat and bold white eyebrow make it one of the more distinctive saltators. Pairs often perform duets, with the female answering the male’s whistled phrases. It readily visits fruit feeders and frequents shaded coffee plantations and forest edges.
Temperament
social and somewhat shy
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and sometimes joins mixed-species flocks along forest edges. Pairs maintain small territories and often duet, especially at dawn. The nest is a cup placed in dense shrubs or low trees; the clutch typically contains two eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, melodious series of clear whistles, often delivered as a duet with antiphonal phrases. Calls include sharp chips and soft contact notes from cover. The song carries well through edge habitats and gardens.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with a slate-gray head and nape, contrasting buff throat, and grayish underparts shading to olive on the flanks. A bold white supercilium and darker lores frame the face. Wings and tail are olive with dusky edging; feathers are smooth and sleek, not heavily streaked.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of fruits, berries, seeds, and buds, using its stout bill to crush hard seeds. It supplements this with arthropods, especially during breeding when protein demands rise. Birds often forage methodically through foliage and occasionally glean insects from leaves and twigs. They readily visit fruiting trees and will come to feeders offering bananas or papaya.
Preferred Environment
Most foraging occurs in dense shrubbery, along hedgerows, and at forest margins where fruiting plants are common. It also uses shaded agroforestry systems like coffee and cacao plantations and ventures into well-vegetated gardens.
