Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak

The yellow-shouldered grosbeak (Parkerthraustes humeralis) is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of its genus Parkerthraustes. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Taxonomy: The yellow-shouldered grosbeak was formally described in 1867 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence. He coined the Latin name Pytilus (Caryothrautes) humeralis. Following information from molecular genetics the species was moved from genus Caryothrautes to its own genus Parkerthraustes in 1997 by James Van Remsen Jr., to honour the late ornithologist Theodore A. Parker III. The specific epithet humeralis is Late Latin, meaning "of the shoulders".

The yellow-shouldered grosbeak was traditionally considered a member of the cardinal family Cardinalidae. It was moved to the tanager family based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2007. It is placed in the subfamily Orchesticinae with the brown tanager in its own genus Orchesticus. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

 The yellow-shouldered grosbeak is a generally grayish bird, with black cheeks, a black-barred white throat, and a yellow carpal patch on the shoulders that grants the species its name. It has a somewhat smaller-billed than other grosbeaks.

Distribution and habitat: The yellow-shouldered grosbeak is a South American endemic that inhabits the west and south of the Amazon rainforest. It has been recorded from southern Colombia south from Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia, as well as east into Brazil. It has been recorded at elevations of .