Some Trinidad birds are so striking and unique that identification is straightforward, like the Turquoise Tanager, a beauty that looks like no other bird there. The Turquoise male and female look alike (same with the Bay-headed, btw), so it's even simpler.
But identifying a bird and capturing a good photo are quite different matters. Often the Turquoise Tanager was so close and active, feeding on fruit in a Trema tree, that I couldn't track it in my scope. The few blurred shots here hardly do justice to its features. The bright yellow of the belly is a stark contrast to the blacks and blues of the face and back. You'll just have to go to Asa Wright and see for yourselves. Species is absent from Tobago. Photos were taken January 13, 2013.
There are 5 subspecies of the Turquoise Tanager, some ranging down to Brazil. Trinidad's is Tangara mexicana vieilloti, the one with the yellowest underparts, as seen in one photo here. I don't have a clue why the species name contains "mexicana", as the Turquoise Tanager is not found in Mexico, at least not when Steve N.G. Howell wrote his book.
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