White-lined Tanager
Tachyphonus rufus

White-lined is a somewhat widespread resident of the neotropics, in central Panama more common in the foothills than the lowlands. I was forced to take a closer look at this common species when, in July of 2005, my fellow birders and I watched a male engaged in some sort of courtship display at the fruit feeders outside the Canopy Lodge in El Valle, Panama. The male tanager (with a female close at hand) performed a fascinating dance involving tail-spreading, wing-lifting, and raucous vocalization. The white wing-lining was visible during the display, possibly the only reason this plumage feature had evolved in the species. I was lucky enough to catch the whole act on film, and gain a new appreciation of this often-overlooked species.

On my return trip to the now-completed Canopy Lodge in May of 2006 White-lined Tanager was perhaps the most common tanager at the numerous fruit feeders on the grounds. I remembered to occasionally film this common bird, and collected the image below, a nice look at both genders of this extremely sexually-dimorphic species.

Elsewhere on this site:
Birds of Panama, 2005

Birds of Panama, 2006

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