Photo: Gustavo Magnago / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Yellow-backed Tanager
Hemithraupis flavicollis
Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 12.8 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Hemithraupis
- Species flavicollis
Where it lives
Panama to southeastern Brazil and southeastern Peru
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Yellow-backed Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Yellow-backed Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) belongs to the Thraupidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Panama to se Brazil and se Peru.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12.8 g, with a wing length of about 6.8 cm and a tail of around 5.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 5.6 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Yellow-backed Tanager?
The Yellow-backed Tanager is a very small bird that weighs around 12.8 g.
Where does the Yellow-backed Tanager live?
The Yellow-backed Tanager is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Panama to se Brazil and se Peru, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Yellow-backed Tanager belong to?
The Yellow-backed Tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Yellow-backed Tanager eat?
The Yellow-backed Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Yellow-backed Tanager migrate?
The Yellow-backed Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Yellow-backed Tanager endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Yellow-backed Tanager make?
1 real field recording of the Yellow-backed Tanager — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Yellow-backed Tanager's range?
The Yellow-backed Tanager has a mapped global range of about 5.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thraupidae
A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.