The saffron-crowned tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. Found in the northern Andes of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, it inhabits cloud forest, forest edges, and secondary forest, preferring areas with mossy trees. It is an average-sized species of tanager with a blue-green body and yellow head with a black forecrown, lores, orbital area, and chin.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs from Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru and northern Bolivia, mostly in humid montane cloud forests. It favors forest edges, secondary growth, and especially moss-laden trees rich in epiphytes. Birds forage from mid-story to canopy, often along ridgelines and in gaps. It tolerates some habitat disturbance where tall, humid forest structure remains.
Altitude Range
1200–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This striking tanager of the northern Andes often joins mixed-species flocks moving through mossy cloud-forest canopies. Its saffron-yellow head with a black mask contrasts sharply with its blue-green body, making it easy to recognize even in dim forest light. It feeds on both fruits and insects, helping disperse seeds and regulate arthropod populations.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually travels in small groups or as part of mixed-species canopy flocks. During breeding, pairs form and defend small territories around nest sites in dense foliage. The cup-shaped nest is placed in epiphyte-laden branches; both adults provision the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched chips and tinkling twitters interwoven into short, musical phrases. Calls serve as contact notes within flocks and become more insistent near feeding bouts.
Plumage
Compact tanager with a blue-green body and contrasting saffron-yellow crown. The forecrown, lores, orbital area, and chin form a black mask; wings and tail are dusky with bluish edges. Underparts are turquoise to bluish-green with subtle scaling.
Diet
Takes a variety of small fruits and berries, especially from melastomes and other canopy shrubs. Frequently gleans insects and other arthropods from leaves, twigs, and epiphytes. Occasionally sallies short distances to snatch flying prey and may sip nectar opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages primarily in the mid to upper canopy of humid cloud forest, along edges, gaps, and forested roadsides. Often concentrates in epiphyte-rich trees with abundant mosses and bromeliads.
