CreatureData

Spangle-cheeked tanager

Tangara dowii (Salvin, 1863)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii) is a species in the family Thraupidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 15 g to 20 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii)
Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the spangle-cheeked tanager

Weight
15 g – 20 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the spangle-cheeked tanager live?

Not recorded

What is the spangle-cheeked tanager?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii) is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is an endemic resident breeder in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Formerly considered conspecific with the green-naped tanager, it is now known that these two species differ geographically and genetically.

It is common from about 1,200 to 3,000 m (3,900 to 9,800 ft) altitude in the canopy of epiphyte-laden wet mountain forests, and at lower levels in semi-open areas like clearings with trees, second growth and woodland edges. The bulky cup nest, lined with bromeliad leaves, is built in a tree fork or on a branch high amongst the epiphytes. The normal clutch is two eggs.

The adult spangle-cheeked tanager is 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 20 g (0.71 oz). It has a mainly black head, upperparts and breast, with blue scaling on the breast, sides of the face and neck, and a rufous crown patch. The wings and tail have blue edgings. The rump is green and the belly is cinnamon. The sexes are very similar, but adult males have more extensive blue scaling. Immatures are generally duller, with no crown patch, and less distinct blue scaling.

Spangle-cheeked tanagers occur in pairs, family groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock (particularly those containing common bush tanagers). They eat small fruit, usually swallowed whole, insects and spiders.

The spangle-cheeked tanager's call is a high tsip.

From the Wikipedia article “Spangle-cheeked tanager” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spangle-cheeked_tanager&oldid=1380705738), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the spangle-cheeked tanager endangered?

The spangle-cheeked tanager is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the spangle-cheeked tanager classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyThraupidae
  6. genusTangara
  7. SpeciesTangara dowii (Salvin, 1863)

Synonyms Calliste dowii, Tangara dowii dowii

Other names and names in other languages (30)
  • tàngara de pit tacatCatalan
  • tangara leskloskvrnnáCzech
  • tanagr boch serennogWelsh
  • Skælbrystet TangarDanish
  • GlanzfleckentangareGerman
  • brilpunkta tangaroEsperanto
  • Tangara caripintaSpanish
  • Tangara VientricastañaSpanish
  • panamantangaraFinnish
  • Calliste pailletéFrench
  • pjegavolica tangaraCroatian
  • Tangara di DowItalian
  • Tanagra picchiettataItalian
  • サザナミフウキンチョウJapanese
  • sazanaminanairofuukinchouJapanese
  • blizgioji tanagraLithuanian
  • GlansvlektangareDutch
  • paljettanagarNorwegian
  • tangarka łuskowanaPolish
  • saíra-de-cara-pintadaPortuguese
  • tangará-de-faces-salpicadasPortuguese
  • Пятнистая танаграRussian
  • Жемчужнощёкая танаграRussian
  • tangara prskanáSlovak
  • paljettangaraSwedish
  • Çil Yanaklı TangaraTurkish
  • танагра плямистаUkrainian
  • 斑颊唐加拉雀Chinese
  • 斑颊靓唐纳雀Chinese
  • 道氏亮頰唐加拉雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the spangle-cheeked tanager

Other species in the same genus Tangara.

CompareSpangle-cheeked tanager vs Paradise tanagerSpangle-cheeked tanager vs Green-headed tanagerSpangle-cheeked tanager vs Seven-colored tanagerSpangle-cheeked tanager vs Silver-throated tanager

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the spangle-cheeked tanager?

An adult spangle-cheeked tanager weighs 15 g – 20 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the spangle-cheeked tanager endangered?

The spangle-cheeked tanager is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the spangle-cheeked tanager?

The spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii) belongs to the family Thraupidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spangle-cheeked-tanager

MLA

“Spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/spangle-cheeked-tanager.

BibTeX
@misc{spangle_cheeked_tanager_2026,
  title = {Spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/spangle-cheeked-tanager},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}