Plate 021 · eating molle fruit IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Orange bill thick; black in young birds.
- 2White brow from the eye to the nape.
- 3Pale throat framed in black.
- 4Black collar joining face and breast.
- 5Buff belly and grey back.
- 6White tips on the dark tail.
Easily confused with Greyish SaltatorSaltator coerulescensBlack bill, no strong black collar. Lives at lower elevations. 021 / 100 · BIRDS · THRAUPIDAELEAST CONCERN Golden-billed Saltator
Saltator aurantiirostris
Pepitero de collar
Its orange bill and white brow make it easy to recognise. It lives in scrub, woodland edges and ravines, from the forest up to high valleys such as Tafí. It sings loudly from the tops of shrubs.
- Length
- c. 20 cm
- Altitude
- c. 600 – 3,300 m
- Bill
- orange in adults
- Breeding
- spring and summer
- Scrubland
- Fruit and buds
- Strong singer
- Resident
Altitude rangeEdges, scrub and high valleys
All year Commonest in open shrubby places: montane woodland edges, alder and queñoa woods, and valleys such as Tafí del Valle. In winter it also moves lower down.
FoodFruit, buds and seeds
- Fruitmolle, shrub berries
- Buds and young leavesplucked with the bill
- Flowerspetals
- Seedsof shrubs and grasses
- Insectsmainly when breeding
It eats a lot of plant matter: fruit, buds and flowers. This lets it live in high places with few insects.
BehaviourSinger of the shrubs
J F M A M J J A S O N D BreedingPresent - Sings from a high perch. Loud, whistled phrases from the top of a shrub.
- In pairs. It usually moves in pairs through the shrubs.
- Cup nest. A bulky cup in a dense or thorny shrub.
Where to look in Tucumán- Tafí del Valle (RP 307)
- Cuesta del Clavillo
- Los Ñuñorcos
- Sierra de San Javier
- PN Aconquija