The masked saltator (Saltator cinctus) is a species of passerine bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The masked saltator was formally described in 1800 with its current binomial Saltator cinctus.
The masked saltator is monotypic. However, the disjunct population in Colombia differs in its plumage and bill color and "may represent a separate taxon; further study required".
Description
The Ecuadoran and Peruvian masked saltator is 21.5 cm (8.5 in) long and weighs 43 to 53 g (1.5 to 1.9 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a slate-gray crown, nape, and upperparts. Their face and throat are black with a thin white line behind and that widens below the black. Their wing coverts and flight feathers are black with wide dark gray edges. Their tail is black with small white tips on the inner two pairs of feathers and wide white tips on the other four pairs. Their breast has a black band below the white one and the rest of their underparts are mostly white with gray flanks and wide black barring on the vent area. They have an orange or golden iris with a red inner ring, a mostly red maxilla, a mixed black and red mandible, and slate-gray legs and feet. Juveniles are duller than adults and have a smaller black mask and pale yellow bill. The Colombian population is 20 cm (7.9 in) long. It has a minimal pale streak behind the face, a creamy white rather than pure white belly, a red eye, and an entirely red bill.
