Thraupis
Encyclopedia
Thraupis is a genus of bird
s of the tanager
family occurring from Mexico
to Argentina
. Some are familiar species with large ranges. As currently defined the genus includes 9 species, but this includes species from two separate clade
s. Consequently, the genus is paraphyletic and two species (T. cyanocephala and T. bonariensis) are likely to eventually be moved to another genus.
These tanagers are mainly found in semi-open habitats including plantations and open woodland, but some will venture into towns. They feed from medium to high levels in trees, taking mainly fruit, with some nectar, and insects which may be taken in flight.
The pair builds a usually well concealed cup nest, but the female incubates alone. The Blue-gray and Palm Tanagers will nest in buildings.
Thraupis tanagers have squeaky call notes and songs which consist of 5-10 repetitions of a single or double note.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s of the tanager
Tanager
The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...
family occurring from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Some are familiar species with large ranges. As currently defined the genus includes 9 species, but this includes species from two separate clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
s. Consequently, the genus is paraphyletic and two species (T. cyanocephala and T. bonariensis) are likely to eventually be moved to another genus.
These tanagers are mainly found in semi-open habitats including plantations and open woodland, but some will venture into towns. They feed from medium to high levels in trees, taking mainly fruit, with some nectar, and insects which may be taken in flight.
The pair builds a usually well concealed cup nest, but the female incubates alone. The Blue-gray and Palm Tanagers will nest in buildings.
Thraupis tanagers have squeaky call notes and songs which consist of 5-10 repetitions of a single or double note.
Species in taxonomic order
- Blue-gray TanagerBlue-gray TanagerThe Blue-grey Tanager, Thraupis episcopus, is a medium-sized South American songbird of the Tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil, all of the Amazon Basin, except the very south. It has been introduced to Lima...
, Thraupis episcopus - Glaucous TanagerGlaucous TanagerThe Glaucous Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family. The term glaucous describes its colouration. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International...
, Thraupis glaucocolpa - Sayaca TanagerSayaca TanagerThe Sayaca Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, the tanagers.It is a common resident in northeastern, central, and southeastern Brazil, and Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeast Argentina...
, Thraupis sayaca - Azure-shouldered TanagerAzure-shouldered TanagerThe Azure-shouldered Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family. It is found in Brazil and Paraguay....
, Thraupis cyanoptera - Golden-chevroned TanagerGolden-chevroned TanagerThe Golden-chevroned Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is endemic to Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. ....
, Thraupis ornata - Blue-capped TanagerBlue-capped TanagerThe Blue-capped Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International...
, Thraupis cyanocephala - Blue-and-yellow TanagerBlue-and-yellow TanagerThe Blue-and-yellow Tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, the tanagers.It is found in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, extreme northern border Chile, and Andean Peru and Ecuador...
, Thraupis bonariensis- Darwin's Tanager, Thraupis (bonariensis) darwinii
- Yellow-winged TanagerYellow-winged TanagerThe Yellow-winged Tanager, Thraupis abbas, is a neotropical member of the tanager family. It is of average size for a tanager, about 18 centimetres . It is distinguished by the yellow patches on its dusky green wings, marking an otherwise dark bluish and gray body. It has a pale lavender tone on...
, Thraupis abbas - Palm TanagerPalm TanagerThe Palm Tanager, Thraupis palmarum, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder from Nicaragua south to Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil. It also breeds on Trinidad and, since 1962, on Tobago...
, Thraupis palmarum