Scrub Tanager - Tangara vitriolina

Length 5.5 in (14.0 cm)
Weight 0.6-0.9 oz (18.4-26.8 g)
Clutch Size 2
Chicks at birth Altricial
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern
Continents:SA
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Scrub Tanagers are found in the Colombia and Ecuador Andes. Scrub Tanagers body is mostly silvery gray and greenish blue with the wings and tails darker and the underparts lighter. The underparts also have an rust wash, especially at the undertail coverts. The head has a rust color crown, a black mask and dark eyes. Both sexes are similar.

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Diet: Scrub Tanagers mostly forages for insects in low bushes to the top of tall trees.

Courtship: No information found on courtship but they are found in pairs or singly.

Nesting: Builds an open cup nest mostly made of moss and lined with fine fibers. 2 whitish eggs are laid that are heavily marked with lilac and/or brown.

Habitat and Range: Scrub Tanagers inhabit the interior Andean valleys of Colombia and Ecuador and can be found in scattered trees and shrubs in semiarid country. They are extending their range into cleared forests and can also be found around human settlements.

Vocalization: Produces a shrill buzzy 'ziit' sound.

Plumage/Molt: No alternate plumage. Probably molts annually.

Migration: Non-migratory.

Tongue/feet: Dark gray feet and legs.

Bibliography:

  • Isler, Morton L. and Isler, Phyllis R., The Tanagers: Natural History, distribution, and Identification,Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1987
  • http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/home The Cornell Lab of Ornithoogy Neotropical Birds, Accessed June, 2013

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