Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) [XC261169]
by Mitch Lysinger from Napo: km 35 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador (call, calls)
Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) [XC529558]
by Mauricio \u00c1lvarez-Rebolledo (Colecci\u00f3n de Sonidos Ambientales - Instituto Humboldt) from Reserva Bremen, bosque entresacado y secundarios, Colombia (?)
Subspecies
Genetic data indicate that this species is part of a monophyletic group that includes also Blue-whiskered Tanager (Tangara johannae), Green-and-gold Tanager (Tangara schrankii), Emerald Tanager (Tangara florida), Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara icterocephala), Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala), Golden-eared Tanager (Tangara chrysotis) and Flame-faced Tanager (Tangara parzudakii). Subspecies possibly represent more than one species, e.g. it has been suggested that nominate subspecies may merit isolated treatment, being markedly different from all others. Other plumage groups include: sclateri; aurulenta, occidentalis, goodsoni and palmitae; and pulchra, aequatorialis and sophiae. Further research is required. Subspecies palmitae poorly differentiated from aurulenta and possibly better synonymized with it.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
arthus Lesson, 1832 - Mountains of northern and western Venezuela (from north-western Lara and Sierra de San Luis, in Falcón, east to Distrito Federal and Miranda; Andes from southern Lara south to northern Táchira).
aurulenta (Lafresnaye, 1843) - North-western Venezuela (Sierra de Perijá) and western slope of eastern Andes of Colombia (southern from about latitude of Bogotá). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Western Golden Tanager (Tangara aurulenta).
occidentalis Chapman, 1914 - Western slope of central Andes and both slopes of western Andes (south to Nariño), in Colombia.
goodsoni Hartert, 1913 - Western slope of Andes in Ecuador, and probably also north-western Peru.
palmitae Meyer de Schauensee, 1947 - Western slope of eastern Andes at La Palmita (Santander), in Colombia.
sclateri (Lafresnaye, 1854) - Both slopes of eastern Andes of Colombia (from Boyacá and Santander south to Cundinamarca, and in Macarena Mts), probably also Andes of adjacent south-western Venezuela (southern Táchira).
aequatorialis (Taczanowski & von Berlepsch, 1885) - Eastern slope of Andes in Ecuador and adjacent northern Peru (Chaupe).
pulchra (Tschudi, 1844) - Eastern slope of Andes in Peru (from Chachapoyas south to Chanchamayo).
sophiae (von Berlepsch, 1901) - Eastern slope of Andes in south-eastern Peru (southern from Cuzco and Puno) south to Bolivia (La Paz and western Cochabamba).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet