Green-and-gold tanager

Tangara schrankii

Photo by Glenn Bartley (Glenn Bartley Nature Photography)

Common name:

green-and-gold tanager (en); saíra-ouro (pt); calliste de Schrank (fr); tángara de cara negra (es); goldbrusttangare (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Thraupidae

Range:

This South American specis is found in the western and central Amazon Basin in eastern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, central Bolivia, and north-western Brazil.

Size:

The green-and-gold tanager is 12-13,5 cm long and weighs 19-20 g.

Habitat:

These birds inhabit sub-tropical and tropical moist lowland forests and swamps. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 1650 m.

Diet:

The green-and gold tanager mostly eats fruits, berries and seeds, namely of Cecropiaceae, Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae and Piperaceae. They also hunt for insects in dense foliage on branches.

Breeding:

These birds breed in July-December. They build a cup-shaped nest made of dry leaves, lichens and rootlets and lined with plant fibres. The nest is placed on a small under-story tree less than 2 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 pale reddish brown eggs densely speckled with darker red. The eggs are incubated for 13-17 days by the female alone. The the chicks are mostly fed by the female and fledge 15-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The green-and-gold tanager has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.