The cinnamon-bellied saltator or northern grey saltator is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greyish saltator, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. It is found from Mexico to Panama.
Region
Mesoamerica
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern and western Mexico south through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica into western Panama. It favors forest edges, second growth, scrub, and semi-open woodlands, as well as coffee and cacao plantations. Frequently uses hedgerows, riparian thickets, and gardens near human settlements. It avoids dense interior rainforest but thrives in patchy, lightly wooded landscapes.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the northern grey saltator, it was split from the greyish saltator by the IOC in 2021. Its rich cinnamon underparts and strong, finch-like bill stand out in hedgerows and garden edges. It adapts well to disturbed habitats and often visits fruiting trees. The stout bill lets it crack tough seeds and pods that many similar-sized birds avoid.
Temperament
generally shy but often conspicuous near edges
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups, sometimes associating loosely with mixed-species flocks at edges. Builds a cup nest in shrubs or low trees; both parents participate in care. Territorial singing males use elevated perches at dawn.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, melodious series of clear whistles and short phrases, often delivered from an exposed perch. Calls include sharp chips and mellow contact notes.
Plumage
Grey head with a contrasting white supercilium and throat, dark lores and malar line, olive to grey-olive upperparts, and warm cinnamon to rufous belly and vent.
Diet
Eats a mix of small fruits, berries, seeds, flower buds, and occasional insects. Uses its robust bill to husk seeds and crack pods. Gleans methodically among foliage and sometimes drops to the ground to pick fallen fruit. Will visit fruiting trees and cultivated crops at edges.
Preferred Environment
Forages in shrubby edges, second growth, and low to mid-levels of trees along forest margins. Readily feeds in gardens, plantations, and hedgerows where fruiting plants are abundant.
