Red-billed Pied Tanager Lamprospiza melanoleuca

Social, black-and-white bird of rainforest canopy. Combination of pied plumage and red bill is diagnostic. Always seen at the uppermost levels of tall rainforest in groups of 4–10 individuals, ranging noisily through the canopy and moving from one emergent tree to the next. Often perches on bare branches but seldom remains in one place for long. Forages deliberately, hopping along branches and taking both insects and fruit. Often associates with other species, but tends to remain on the periphery of mixed-species canopy flocks, sometimes flying off long distances and returning. More often heard than seen; calls include a mixture of slurred and musical doubled notes. Calls are sharp, far carrying, and distinctive once learned.