Paradise tanager

Tangara chilensis

Photo by Drew Avery (Wikipedia)

Common name:

paradise tanager (en); sete-cores-da-Amazónia (pt); calliste septicolore (fr); tángara siete colores (es); siebenfarbentangare (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriormes

Family Thraupidae

Range:

This South American species if found in the western and northern Amazon Basin, occurring in Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia,Brazil and the Guianas.

Size:

These birds are 13,5-15 cm long and weigh around 18-21 g.

Habitat:

Paradise tanagers are found in lowland humid tropical and subtropical forests, generally along the forest edge or in forest clearings.

Diet:

They mostly forage in the upper canopy, but also in lower fruiting trees, eating the fruits of Miconia and Aralia, among others. They also eat seeds invertebrates, namely fly larvae, short-horned grasshoppers, and spiders.

Breeding:

Paradise tanagers breed in June-August. They build a cup-shaped nest using moss, fungus strings and spider web, placed in the tree canopy up to 30 m above the ground. There the female lays greenish-white eggs with dark spots which are incubated for 15-17 days. The chicks fledge about 16 days after hatching. Each pair may raise 2-3 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. Many rainforests within their range are being cut down in order to make way for the cultivation of cocaine and other agricultural crops, but there is no evidence for any declines or substantial threats at present.