Turquoise tangerines
| Turquoise tangerines | ||||||||||||
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Turquoise tangare ( Tangara mexicana ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tangara mexicana | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The turquoise tangar ( Tangara mexicana ) is a species of bird from the family of the tangar (Thraupidae) that occurs in South America . The species does not occur in Mexico , so the specific epithet " mexicana " does not refer to its range.
features
The turquoise tangerine reaches a body length of 12 to 14 centimeters and a weight of 17.0 to 26.0 grams. The head plate and the base of the beak are black. The rest of the head and the chest are light blue, the wings and the control feathers predominantly dark blue to purple in color. Depending on the incidence of light, the plumage sometimes shimmers slightly turquoise. The belly has a yellow color, only in the subspecies Tangara mexicana brasiliensis it is whitish. Both sexes hardly differ in color. However, the females show somewhat paler colors.
Distribution, subspecies and habitat
In addition to the area of Guyana and to the east of Brazil occurring nominate Tangara mexicana mexicana four other subspecies are known:
- Tangara mexicana brasiliensis ( Linnaeus, 1766) , an isolated population along the east coast of Brazil from Porto Seguro via Rio de Janeiro to just before Santos and São Paulo
- Tangara mexicana boliviana ( Bonaparte , 1851), in eastern Colombia , Ecuador and Peru , in northern Bolivia and in the Brazilian states of Amazonas , Pará , Goiás and Mato Grosso
- Tangara mexicana media ( Berlepsch & Hartert , 1902), in the Colombian department of Vichada and in the north-east and south of Venezuela
- Tangara mexicana vieilloti ( PL Sclater , 1857), in Trinidad .
Turquoise tangars prefer to inhabit moist forest edges and river banks, in areas that extend from the plains to an altitude of 1000 meters.
Way of life
The birds feed primarily on fruits, and to a lesser extent also on arthropods . The turquoise tangars live in pairs or in small groups of three to ten individuals. They are rarely found in company with other species of tanagers. The cup-shaped nest is made by the female alone from moss, leaves, plant fibers and lichen and provided with two to three eggs. These are gray to greenish in color and have brownish or reddish speckles. An incubation period of 12 to 14 days has been documented in captivity. No field knowledge is available in this regard. The nestlings are provided with food by family associations up to self-employment.
Hazard and protection
The turquoise tangerine is not uncommon in protected areas and national parks and is therefore classified by the IUCN as a 
“ Least Concern ”. With the subspecies Tangara mexicana brasiliensis , however, some previous habitats have already been lost due to the reclamation of forest areas.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hilty, S. (2017). Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, DA & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (accessed at http://www.hbw.com/node/61674 on February 15, 2017).
- ^ IUCN Red List
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, David A. Christie: Handbook of the Birds of the World, Tanagers to New World Blackbirds. Volume 16, Lynx Edicions, 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-78-1 .
Web links
- neotropical.birds - Neotropical Birds
- itis.gov - ITIS Report
- xeno-canto spread - spread