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THRAUPIDAE - the Tanager Family

TANAGERs - Tangara

The Thraupidae are a family of passerine birds found in the Americas. About 60% of tanagers live in South America, and 30% of these species live in the Andes. Most species are endemic to a relatively small area. In addition to "tanagers", dacnis, finches, flowerpiercers, honeycreepers, seedeaters, and many other diversely named species are included in Thraupidae. The tangara genus includes some of the most spectacularly colored THE WORLD BIRDS.

Tanagers are omnivorous, and their diets vary from genus to genus. They have been seen eating fruits, seeds, nectar, flower parts, and insects. Many pick insects off branches. Other species look for insects on the undersides of leaves. Yet others wait on branches until they see a flying insect and catch it in the air.

Some birds that are called Tanagers are actually in the Cardinal family Cardinalidae.


Genus Ixothraupis
These species were formerly in genus Tangara.

Tanager,_Dotted   Ixothraupis varia also Tangara varia  Found: Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela.
The Dotted Tanager has mainly deep green plumage; turquoise wings; yellow on central belly. Small dots can be hard to see.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - John_Mittermeier


Tanager,_Rufous-throated  Ixothraupis rufigula also Tangara rufigula  Found: Columbia, Ecuador
The Rufous-throated Tanager has black head, nape; red throat; pale underparts with black spots.
Image by: 1, 2 ) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Tanager,_Speckled Ixothraupis guttata also Tangara guttata  Found: Costa Rica, Panama, northern South America
The Speckled Tanager has green back with  with black dots; yellow head, nape; turquoise lining on wings; white belly with black dots.
Similar to: Spotted Tanager. Speckled Tanager has yellow head; Spotted Tanager has green head.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Costa Rica  2, 3) Barloventomagico - Venezuela


Tanager,_Spotted  Ixothraupis punctata  also Tangara punctata  Found: northern South America
The Spotted Tanager has black spots over most of its body; green upperparts; black in front of eye; turquoise face.
Similar to: Speckled Tanager. Speckled Tanager has yellow head; Spotted Tanager has green head.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo   3) Doug_Janson


Tanager,_Yellow-bellied  Ixothraupis xanthogastra also Tangara xanthogastra  Found: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela
The Yellow-bellied Tanager has white and green scalloped upperparts; greenish-yellow nape; greenish-yellow head and breast with black dots; yellow belly.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Columbia  2) Jerry_Oldenettel - Venezuela  3) Barloventomagico



Genus Tangara
Most tangara tanagers are spectacularlu colored. They pick insects from leaves, or sometimes in flight, but fruit is a major dietary item, accounting for 53-86% of food items in those species which have been studied.

Tanager,_Azure-rumped also Cabanis's Tanager   Tangara cabanisi  Found: acific slope of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico
The Azure-rumped Tanager has mainly blue plumage; darker crown; dark lores, wings, spots on breast.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Ian_Davies    2) Jorge_Montejo


Tanager,_Bay-headed  Tangara gyrola  Found: Central and South America
The Bay-headed Tanager has green upperparts; chestnut head; blue underparts. Species is vary variable in color, it may need to be split.
Image by: 1) Barloventomagico - Venezuela  2, 6) Nick Athanas  3) Jerry Oldenettel - Costa Rica   4) Dominic Sherony - Panama  5) Alejandro_Tamayo 
1, 2) Tangara gyrola toddi  5, 6) Tangara gyrola bangsi



Tanager,_Beryl-spangled  Tangara nigroviridis  Found: Venezuela to Bolivia
The Beryl-spangled Tanager has black mask, mantle; bluish wings; black underparts with heavy white spotting (spangle appearing).
Image by: 1) Ana_Agreda - Ecuador  2) Brendan_Ryan - Columbia  3) Nick Athanas - Peru


Tanager,_Black-backed  Tangara peruviana  Found: southeast Brazil
Similar to: Chestnut-backed Tanager. Male Black-backed Tanager has black back; male Chestnut-backed Tanager has black back. Females very similar to each other and hard to differentiate.
Image by: 1) Totodu74  2) Cláudio Timm 2)   3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Almir_de_Almeida
1) Female  2) Male (mounted) 3) Male


Tanager,_Black-capped  Tangara heinei  Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The male Black-capped Tanager has silver mantle; black cap; rest silvery-blue to blue.. Female has mainly yellow-green plumage; silvery face, throat.
Similar to : Silvery Tanager. Male Silvery Tanager has black breast; male Black-capped Tanager has no black on breast. Female Blsck-capped Tanager has silvery face; female Silvery has more tawny face.
Image by: 1, 3) Nick Athanas  2) Alejandro_Tamayo  4) Nomdeploom
1, 2) Female 3, 4) Male


Tanager,_Blue-and-black  Tangara vassorii  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
The Blue-and-black Tanager has mainlhy blue plumage; blue-and-black wings; black rump, tail, lores.
Image by: 1) Francisco_Enríquez - Ecuador  2, 3, Francesco_Veronesi - Columbia  3) Nick Athanas - Peru


Tanager,_Blue-browed  Tangara cyanotis  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
The Blue-browed Tanager has mainly black upperparts; light blue supercilium, underparts.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Brayan_Coral_Jaramillo in Columbia


Tanager, Blue-necked  Tangara cyanicollis  Found: South America
The Blue-necked Tanager has blue hood, neck, throat; greenish-yellow wing coverts, rump; blue-black back, underparts. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Image by: 1) Dominic Sherony  2) Bobo11 - Zurich Zoo  3) Quarti - Walsrode Bird Park, Germany  4) Doug Janson   4, 6) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo  5) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo 
3 - 6) Eastern Blue-necked Tanager (Tangara c. coeruleocephalus)



Tanager,_Blue-whiskered   Tangara johannae  Found: Columbia, Ecuador
The Blue-whiskered Tanager has black face with blue malar (whiskers); black throat, tail; yellow crown, rump, breast.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Peter_Hawrylyshyn in Columbia


Tanager,_Brassy-breasted  Tangara desmaresti  Found: Brazil
The Brassy-breasted Tanager has green upperparts; turquoise blue forehead, eye patch, flanks; black at base of bill, throat patch.
Image by: 1, 2) Dario Sanches - Brazil  3) Nick Athanas - Brazil


Tanager,_Burnished-buff  Tangara cayana  Found: South America
The male Burnished-buff Tanager has turquoise wings, tail. Northern and western males have orange-rufous crown; black mask; cream underparts tinged with blue on throat and chest.  Southern and eastern males have orange-buff crown; buff underparts with black mask extending to upper belly. Female duller than male with black mask outline.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dario Sanches - Brazil  4) Nick Athanas - Brazil
1) Juvenile  2, 3, 4) Male


Tanager,_Chestnut-backed  Tangara preciosa   Found: South America
The Chestnut-backed Tanager is found in the Atlantic Forest in south-eastern Brazil, north-eastern Argentina, eastern Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Similar to: Black-backed Tanager. Male Black-backed Tanager has black back; male Chestnut-backed Tanager has black back. Females very similar to each other and hard to differentiate.
Image by: 1, 4) Carlos_Henrique  2, 3) Cláudio Timm - Brazil  5) Paulo Barradas  6) Nick Athanas 
1, 2, 3) Female 4 ,5, 6) Male



Tanager,_Emerald   Tangara florida  Found: Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador
The Emerald Tanager has mainly green plumage; black stripes on upperparts; yellow head with black ear patch;
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Francesco_Veronesi - Costa Rica


Tanager,_Flame-faced  Tangara parzudakii Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The Flame-faced Tanager has red (to yellow-orange depending on subspecies) forehead, face; golden-yellow hood; black back, wings, tail. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist high altitude forests.
Image by: 1) David Cook - Peru  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Tanager,_Gilt-edged  Tangara cyanoventris  Found: southeast Brazil
The Gilt-edged Tanager has orange-yellow upperparts with black streaks on back; black throat pathc, upper base of bill; turquoise breast; green belly, under-tail coverts.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas   2) Gustavo_Magnago  3) Carlos_Henrique  4) Daniel_Esser


Tanager,_Golden  Tangara arthus  Found: Venezuela south to Bolivia
The Golden Tanager has mainly golden-yellow plumage; black streaked wings; black ear coverts, tail. One species has chestnut on the underparts.
Image by:  1) Andy_Morffew - Ecuador  2) Jon Sullivan   3, 4) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Venezuela 
3) Tangara arthus goodsoni  4) Tangara arthus arthus


Tanager,_Golden-eared  Tangara chrysotis  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
The Golden-eared Tanager has pale green upperparts with heavy black streaks; black crown, malar; gold ear coverts.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas  2) Carol_Foil - Peru  3) Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador


Tanager,_Golden-hooded  Tangara larvata  Found: Central America, northwest South America
The male Golden-hooed Tanager has a golden head; black mask fringed with violet blue; black upperparts with some turquoise on shoulders, wings, tail; black breast; blue flanks; white belly. Female has greenish tinge to head; more extensive white underparts.
Image by: 1) Jerry Oldenettel - Costa Rica  2) Dominic Sherony - Panama  3) Nick Athanas - Costa Rica


Tanager,_Gray-and-gold  Tangara palmeri  Found: Panama, Columbia, Ecuador
The Gray-and-gold Tanager has mainly gray and black plumage; black fore-mask; some gold on breast.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2, 3) Albert_Michaud - Ecuador


Tanager,_Green-and-gold  Tangara schrankii   Found: northern South America
The Green-and-gold Tanager green upperparts with black marks; black face, forehead; green flanks; yellow crown, belly, rump; black tail with blue edges.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Joao_Quental - Peru  3) Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador


Tanager,_Green-capped   Tangara meyerdeschauenseei  Found: Bolivia, Peru
The Green-capped Tanager has pale turquoise-green upperparts; yellowish-green crown; buff underparts.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Tor_Egil_Hogsasin - Peru


Tanager,_Green-headed Tangara seledon  Found: mainly in se Brazil; also ne Argentina, se Paraguay
The male Green-headed Tanager has blue-green head; greenish-gold upper back; black mid-back; orange lower back; blue breast; green flanks.
Image by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dario Sanches - Brazil  5. 6) Nick Athanas - Brazil
1) Juvenile



Tanager,_Green-naped   Tangara fucosa  Found: highlands of easternmost Panama
The Green-naped Tanager was previously consider a subspecies of the Spangle-cheeked Tanager.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Timo_Mitzen


Tanager,_Green-throatedalso Straw-backed Tanager  Tangara argyrofenges  Found: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
The Green-throated Tanager has a straw-colored back; green throat. Male has black cap, lower breast, belly; blackish wings. Female has dark green wings; dusky green cap, nape;  grayish posterior underparts.
Image by: 1, 2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Tini_and_Jacob_Wijpkema, Ian_Davies
1) Female 2) Male


Tanager,_Lesser_Antillean   Tangara cucullata  Found: Grenada, St. Vincent of the Caribbean
The Lesser Antillean Tanager has green wings; dark head.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jeff_Gerbracht  2) Mark_Stevens  3)


Tanager,_Masked   Tangara nigrocincta  Found: South America
The Masked Tanager has mainly blue plumage; some green on wings; small black mask; black back, breast.
Image by: 1) Marc_Des_Murs  2) Jorge Muñoz  1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Diego_Lopez in Columbia


Tanager,_Metallic-green   Tangara labradorides  Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru
The Metallic-green Tanager has mostly green plumage; tending towards duff buff on underparts; small black crown; small balck mask; mainly black wings.
Image by: 1) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Ryan_Candee in Ecuador    2) Amy_McAndrews - Peru


Tanager,_Opal-crowned  Tangara callophrys  Found: centered in Peru and surrounding Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador,
The Opal-crowned Tanager has mainly black upperparts; straw-colored broad supercilium; straw-colored rump; blue underparts.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Antonio_Quezon - in Ecuador


Tanager,_Opal-rumped  Tangara velia  Found: South America
The Opal-rumped Tanager has mainly black upperparts; opal colored rump; blue underparts.
Image by: 1) Joao_Quental  2, 3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Dusan_Brinkhuizen , Kacau Oliveira
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Tanager, Paradise  Tangara chilensis  Found: South America
The Paradise Tanager has yellow-green head; black bill; gray legs.black upperparts; blue underparts; yellow or red rump. Found in humid tropical and subtropical forests in Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and the Guianas.
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo  2, 4) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo 3) Nathan Rupert  5) Drew Avery - Denver Zoo  6, 7, 8) Dick - Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle


Tanager,_Plain-colored  Tangara inornata  Found: Costa Rica, Panama, nw columbia
The Plain-colored Tanager has mainly gray plumage; lighter underparts; black wings.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Panama  2) Francesco_Veronesi - Panama


Tanager,_Red-necked  Tangara cyanocephala  Found: South America
The Red-necked Tanager has red face, nape; blue crown, neck; green underparts. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dario Sanches - Brazil  4, 5) Nick Athanas - Brazil
1) Juvenile



Tanager,_Rufous-cheeked   Tangara rufigenis  Found: northern Venezuela
The Rufous-cheeked Tanager has mainly turquoise-green plumage; paler underparts; rufous cheek stripe;.
Image by: 1) Biodiversity_Heritage_Library  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jhonathan_Miranda


Tanager,_Rufous-winged  Tangara lavinia  Found: Central America, Columbia, Ecuador
The male Rufous-winged Tanager has yellow nape, upper-back; green rest upperparts; rufous head, wings; green breast; blue belly. Female duller, especially the wings.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Ecuador  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Karl_Overman in Panama
1, 2) Male


Tanager,_Saffron-crowned  Tangara xanthocephala  Found: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
The Saffron-crowned Tanager has light blue upperparts with black streaking; bright yellow head with black lores, throat; thin black collar; pale blue underparts.
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas - Peru  2) Brendan_Ryan - Columbia  3) Carl_Downing


Tanager,_Scrub  Tangara vitriolina  Found: Columbia, Ecuador
The Scrub Tanager has silvery-green upperparts; rusty cap; black mask.
Image by: 1) Alejandro_Tamayo - Columbia  Nick Athanas - Columbia  3) Sergey_Pisarevskiy - Columbia


Tanager,_Seven-colored   Tangara fastuosa  Found: eastern Brazil
The Seven-colored Tanager has black mantle; turquoise-green head, nape; orange lower back, rump black throat, upper-breast; bright blue rest of underparts.
Image by: 1) EvaldoJr  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Ciro_Albano


Tanager,_Silver-throated  Tangara icterocephala  Found: Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador
The male Silver-throated Tanager has silver throat with fine black border above; mainly yellow with black streaks on back. Female duller with greenish tinge. It is a resident from Costa Rica, through Panama and western Colombia, to western Ecuador.
Image by: 1)  Tom Benson - Costa Rica  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Panama, Ecuador


Tanager,_Silvery  also  Silver-backed Tanager  Tangara viridicollis  Found: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
The male Silvery Tanager has silver mantle; black rest upperparts, crown, and most of underparts. Female has silver breast.
Similar to : Black-capped Tanager. Male Silvery Tanager has black breast; male Black-capped Tanager has no black on breast. Female Blsck-capped Tanager has silvery face; female Silvery has more tawny face.
Image by: 1, 2) Nick Athanas - Ecuador


Tanager,_Sira   Tangara phillipsi  Found: Peru
The male Sira Tanager has silvery-blue upperparts; darker wings; black cap to rear-neck, underparts. Female bluish-gray upperparts; mainly green underparts.
Image by: 1) hbw.com


Tanager,_Spangle-cheeked   Tangara dowii  Found: Costa Rica, Panama
The Spangle-cheeked Tanager has mainly black upperparts; black head with white spangles on cheeks; white breast with black dots; orange belly. The Green-naped Tanager was previously consider a subspecies of the Spangle-cheeked Tanager.
Image by: 1) Michael_Woodruff - Costa Rica  2) Don_Faulkner  3) Chris_Jimenez


Tanager,_Turquoise  Tangara mexicana  Found: South America
The Turquoise Tanager has black and blue upperparts; yellow to cream lower underparts depending on the subspecies. Found in humid forests, primarily in the Amazon basin.
Image by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Butterfly World, Florida  5) Dick - the North Carolina Zoo  6) Nick Athanas - Brazil
6) Tangara mexicana brasiliensis - also known as White-bellied Tanager.






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