Spotted tanager

Tangara punctata

Photo by Anselmo d'Affonseca (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
spotted tanager (en); saíra-negaça (pt); calliste syacou (fr); tangara goteada (es); drosseltangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found in two separate populations in South America, one along the eastern slopes of the Andes, from northern Ecuador to central Bolivia, and another in north-eastern Brazil, the Guyanas and eastern Venezuela.

Size:
These birds are 11-13 cm long and weigh 13-17 g.

Habitat:
The spotted tanager is found high in the canopy of tropical rainforests, both in lowland and mountainous areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, also taking berries, seeds and a few arthropods.

Breeding:
Spotted tanagers breed in a cup-shaped nest, placed high up on a tree, where the female lays 2-3 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 15-17 days and the chicks fledge about 2 weeks 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 fairly common. The population is suspected to be declining, based on current models of Amazonian deforestation, but the spotted tanager is not threatened at present.