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Gray-and-gold Tanager - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 22:32, 5 June 2014 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Picture added, links, minor tidy-up)
Photo by Francisco Piedrahita
Anchicaya, Buenaventura, Colombia, December 2008
Tangara palmeri

Identification

15 cm. A rather large, mostly grey and black Tanager with black-speckled foreparts.

  • Mostly light pearly grey upperparts, the grey of mantle mixed with black speckling and sprinkled with gold and silvery green, scapulars black
  • Short black mask
  • Grey and black wings
  • Black tail with grey edges
  • Off-white side of head and underparts, variable black speckling of neck extending down across lower side of chest to form irregular necklace of black speckling, this mixed with gold across pectoral area
  • White undertail-coverts

Sexes similar. Juveniles are duller than adults with no gold on chest.

Distribution

South America: found from the humid foothills of eastern Panama to north-western Ecuador (Pichincha)
Uncommon to fairly common in its range. Usually in low densities.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.

Habitat

Found in humid to very wet forest, often on steep hillsides. Also in tall second growth and in scattered trees in clearings.
Occurs from lowlands up to 1100 m, most numerous above c. 400 m in Ecuador and above c. 300 m in Colombia.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on fruits and berries, takes also arthropods.
Forages in pairs or groups of 3 to 8 birds, may join mixed-species flocks but moves usually too rapidly for other species.
Searches for food in the canopy and upper level of trees, occasionally lower.

Breeding

Nests recorded in July, August and December, some breeding may occur all year.
The nest is a mossy cup. It's placed c. 30 m above the ground on a large, moss-covered branch.

Movements

A resident species.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. 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
  3. Avibase

Recommended Citation

External Links

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