Dusky-faced tanager
The dusky-faced tanager is a species of bird in the family Mitrospingidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama.
Taxonomy and systematics
The dusky-faced tanager and the three other species in family Mitrospingidae were previously placed in family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers. A 2013 publication detailed how they did not belong there and proposed the new family for them. The North and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society accepted the new placement in July 2017 and March 2019, respectively. The International Ornithological Committee followed suit in January 2018.The dusky-faced tanager has two subspecies, the nominate Mitrospingus cassinii cassinii and M. c. costaricensis.
[Image: Dusky-faced_Tanager.tif |left|thumb| Canopy Lodge - El Valle, Panama]
Description
The two subspecies are "very poorly differentiated." The adults are long and weigh. Their crown and nape are mustard yellow. The face has a large black "mask". Their upper parts are lead gray. The throat is light gray transitioning to olive yellow on the breast and flanks and further to a gray-olive-yellow blend on the belly. The juvenile is similar but has less yellow on the crown and a buffy tinge to the underparts.Distribution and habitat
The dusky-faced tanager of subspecies M. c. costaricensis is found along the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica's Heredia Province south to extreme northwestern Panama. The nominate is found on both slopes of western Panama south through western Colombia to Guayas Province in Ecuador. It also occurs on the east slope of Colombia's Central Andes.The dusky-face tanager inhabits low dense shrubbery, thickets, and second growth. It is found along forest edges, gaps in forest, and along forest streams and swampy areas. In Costa Rica it generally ranges up to but can be found up to. Its upper limit in Panama is. In Colombia it is mostly below though it has been recorded up to. In Ecuador it can be found as high as.