Black-goggled Tanager perched Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The black-goggled tanager (Trichothraupis melanops) is a species of bird in the family, Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Trichothraupis. It is found at low levels in forest and woodland in a large part of eastern and southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina, with a disjunct population along the East Andean slope in Peru, Bolivia and far north-western Argentina. While generally common and widespread, and consequently considered to be of least concern by IUCN, the population associated with the Andes is relatively local and uncommon.

The underparts are tawny, the back and head are dull brownish-olive, and the tail and wings are contrastingly black (the latter with a white speculum that is difficult to see when perched, but conspicuous in flight). The male has a yellow crown patch and a large black patch around the eyes as seen in this picture (the black “goggles” for which the species is named). Fairly common throughout most of its highly disjunct range, the Black-goggled Tanager is unusual amongst forest-based tanagers in showing extensive white in the primaries in flight. It prefers the undergrowth, is usually found in pairs, and regularly joins mixed-species foraging flocks. In terms of elevational range, the species ranges to 2400 m in the Andes, but rather lower in southeast South America.