Birdland: Cheers To You
The song of the Buff-throated Saltator is, well, cheery. Males engage in melodious duets that sound like this: “Cheery cheery,” one will warble. The second will answer, “Cheery to you.” Once thought to be cardinals, Buff-throated Saltators are now considered part of the tanager family. They have stout, finch-like bills, slate-grey heads and greenish crowns. Their habitat covers a wide geographic range, from Mexico south to Brazil. This Buff-throated Saltator was photographed in Ecuador by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.