Blue-grey tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Photo by Taran Rampersad (Flickr)

Common name:
blue-grey tanager (en); sanhaçu-da-Amazónia (pt); tangara évêque (fr); azulejo de jardín (es); bischofstangare (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae


Range:
This species is found in northern South America and in Central America, from northern Brazil, Bolivia and Peru to southern Mexico. They are also found in Trinidad and Tobago.


Size:
These birds are 16-18 cm long and weigh 30-40 g.


Habitat:
Blue-grey tanagers are found in open woodlands, namely dry savannas, moist forests and second growths. They are also found in moist scrublands, rural gardens, plantations and urban areas, from sea level up to an altitude of 2.600 m.


Diet:
They mainly eat fruits, but also insects, spiders  and nectars, foraging in the foliage 3-10 m above the ground.


Breeding:Blue-grey tanagers nest in a deep, open cup, in a high tree fork or building crevice. The female lays 1-3 whitish to grey-green eggs with dark markings. The eggs are incubated by the female for 14 days, and the chicks fledge 17 days after hatching. Each pair raises 2-3 clutches per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.