Bird Guide

Masked Flowerpiercer vs Swallow Tanager

Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea)

Masked Flowerpiercer

Diglossa cyanea

Small17 gForest

The masked flowerpiercer grows to a length of about 15 cm (6 in). The adult male is deep ultramarine blue with a dark mask. The beak is large, black, and upturned, with a characteristic hook on the tip of the upper mandible. The iris is bright red. The female is similar in appearance but altogether duller. The juvenile has a reddish-brown iris. At the northern end of its range, the song is a series of reedlike notes terminating in a twitter, while at the southern end, it is a jangling series of high-pitched notes ending with several lengthy "tseee" notes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Alina Martin · CC BY 4.0
Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis)

Swallow Tanager

Tersina viridis

Small29 gForest

The swallow tanager is 14.5–15 cm (5.7–5.9 in) in length with a broad flat bill. This bird is strongly sexually dimorphic. The male is bright turquoise blue with a black face and throat. The turquoise flanks have black barring and the lower belly is white. The female is bright green with dusky-olive barring on the flanks. She lacks the black face mask. They are gregarious but do not associate with other species. They mainly eat fruit but they will also sally after insects from an exposed perch.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Under the same moon... · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in BeakBrain

Photo and call practice, free in any browser.

Play BeakBrain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Masked Flowerpiercer and Swallow Tanager.