Green-headed tanager

Tangara seledon

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
green-headed tanager (en); saíra-sete-cores (pt); calliste à tête verte (fr); tángara regia (es); dreifarbentangare (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae


Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Brazil and adjacent parts of Paraguay and Argentina.


Size:
The green-headed tanager is 13-13,5 cm long and weighs 16-20 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in humid Atlantic forest, but can also be found in orchards, parks and gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.


Diet:
They eat fruits, including those of palm trees, guava, papaya, cashew and berries from Bromeliads. They also eat insects and other arthropods.


Breeding:
Green-headed tanagers breed in November-February. The nest is a compact cup built by both adults with grass and leaves, and lined with soft materials. It is hidden within the foliage of a tree or scrub. The female lays 2-4 pale pinkish eggs with brown and grey markings, which she incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14-18 days after hatching, but only become fully independent several weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.