- Thraupis sayaca
Tangara sayaca
Identification
Length: 16–17 cm (6¼-6¾ in); A pale grey and blue tanager with a short, thick bill.
- Uniformly dull grey head and upperparts, slightly tinged bluish
- Slightly paler throat and breast gradually fading to dull greyish-white on belly
- Almost white undertail-coverts
- Blue wings
- Dark brown eye
- Dusky grey bill
Sexes similar. Immature are darker and dingier and almost identical to immatures of Blue-grey Tanager.
Similar species
Slightly greyer than Blue-grey Tanager and without white in wings.
Distribution
South America: present in east and south Brazil. Also north Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and far south-western Peru.
Widespread and common to locally abundant.
Taxonomy
May form a superspecies with Blue-grey Tanager and Glaucous Tanager and is sometimes considered conspecific with theses species.
Subspecies
Three subspecies recognized[1]:
- T. s. boliviana in tropical northwest Bolivia
- T. s. obscura from central and southern Bolivia to western Argentina
- T. s. sayaca from Paraguay to eastern Brazil, southeast Peru, Uruguay and northeast Argentina
Habitat
A variety of habitats, both dry and humid, from the edge of the forest and spots of capoeiras to gardens in cities, trees and shrubs in agricultural regions.
Behaviour
They live in groups of about 6 individuals.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of fruits, seeds, leaves and buds; also insects in the foliage or flight.
Breeding
The bowl-shaped nest is situated at a height between 1,5 and 4 m. They lay 2 bluish or pink eggs with brown spots.
Movements
Partially migratory.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2011. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553781
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Sayaca Tanager. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sayaca_Tanager
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
