Scientific Name: Dacnis venusta

Small and striking tanager with very sharp bill. Male superficially similar to Blue Dacnis but most of body black; head, back, and shoulder electric turquoise-blue. Red eye. Scarlet “thighs” inconspicuous and difficult to see in the field. Female less obvious than male; note turquoise face contrasting with buffy belly. Usually stays in the canopy of forest edges; pairs often follow mixed feeding flocks.

These active birds are primarily frugivorous, often seen puncturing berries with their specialized bills or sipping nectar from canopy flowers alongside honeycreepers. During the breeding season, they build small, cup-shaped nests hidden deep within the foliage of tall trees, where both parents aggressively defend their territory from larger birds. Despite being locally common in humid foothill forests, their preference for the highest layers of the canopy makes them a rewarding challenge for birdwatchers to spot.