Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- blue & black tanager
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus Species
- Tangara (Tupi word for brightly colored bird) vassorii
Fast Facts
- Description
- The blue and black tanager is a brightly colored bird with mostly blue plumage except for black on the tail primaries, the lesser wing coverts and mask extending from the base of the bill through the eyes.
- Size
- 9 to 28 cm (3.5 to 11 in.)
- Weight
- 8.5 to 40 g (0.3 to 1.4 oz.)
- Diet
- Includes fruit and nectar
- Incubation
- 13 to 15 days
- Clutch Size
- 2 to 5 eggs
- Feldging Duration
- 14 to 20 days
- Sexual Maturity
- No data
- Life Span
- No data
- Range
- This species has a very large range and can be found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
- Habitat
- Found in areas around lakes and rivers
- Population
- The total population is unknown but scientists believe there are at least 10,000 mature individuals. The population is decreasing but is not severely fragmented.
- Status
- IUCN: Least Concern
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
The males and females are both brightly colored and cannot be distinguished by their markings.
Tanager classification is still being determined. They are often classified in the Thraupidae family.
Ecology and Conservation
These birds are vital seed dispersers and help to foster new forest growth. They are also food for larger predators.
The population is suspected to be in decline due to ongoing habitat destruction.
Bibliography
Austin, G. 1961. Birds of the World. Golden Press, Inc., New York.
Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981.
Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. 1979.
Perrins, C. M. And A. L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts on File Pub. 1985.
Perrins, C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990.
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/winkler/botw/thraupidae.html
InfoNatura: Birds, mammals, and amphibians of Latin America [web application]. 2004. Version 3.2 . Arlington, Virginia (USA): NatureServe. Available: http://www.natureserve.org/infonatura.
BirdLife International. 2017. Tangara vassorii (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T103849068A119558363. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103849068A119558363.en. Downloaded on 10 December 2018.
Photo Credit: Tangara vassorii-NBII-a00180.jpg. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Image by: Francisco Enriquez/NBII Image Gallery . Year Created: 16 April 2001. Website: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tangara_vassorii_-NBII_Image_Gallery-a00180.jpg. License: Public Domain.
