Trinidad: Blue Dacnis - Dacnis cayana

The Blue Dacnis, Dacnis cayana, is in the Tanager family, and is known by some as the Turquoise Honeycreeper. We didn't see this species as often as the other tanagers at Asa Wright, and it rarely perched long enough for a photo, but the striking color of the male is perhaps worth sharing.

The Blue Dacnis is one of 8 species in the genus Dacnis, and the Blue Dacnis ranges from Central America well down into South America. This is probably the nominate subspecies, Dacnis cayana cayana. Despite the borderline quality of the photo, we can see the black mask, black nape and tail, a hint of a red eye, and the obvious lush turquoise blue. The bill is not as long as the local honeycreepers (who are unrelated to the Hawaiian Honeycreepers), but they are close relatives. The female is green, with some blue in the head, or so I read in the guidebook.