(Original Title: Rainforest Birds - Bay-Headed Tanager)
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| A Bay-headed Tanager (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Bird Name:
Bay-headed Tanager
Latin Name:
Tangara gyrola
Status:
Least Concern
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Tangara
Species: T. gyrola
General Information:
The Bay-Headed Tanager is a social, medium-sized bird of Central and South America. It is common throughout its extensive range. There are nine subspecies of the Bay-headed Tanager.
Physical Description:
These adult birds measure about 14 cm in length and weigh approximately 19.5 g. There is considerable variation in plumage within the subspecies. T. g. gyrola, the nominate type, is mainly green with a chestnut colored head, blue belly, and a thin golden band around its hind neck. The sexes are alike in appearance and the juveniles are duller in plumage and have green heads with chestnut speckles.
Diet:
The bird feeds primarily on fruit, which is often swallowed whole. They have also been known to pick insects off the underside of branches.
Habitat:
Its range spans from Central America, including Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, down to the Amazon Basin including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is also present on the island of Trinidad and Tobago. The Bay-headed Tanager occurs in forests and they prefer the wetter areas. The common habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Reproduction:
The bird builds a bulky cup nest in a tree. The female will normally lay two creamy white eggs that are speckled with brown. She will incubate them for a period of approximately14 days. The chicks will fledge after another 15 to 16 days.
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