The magpie tanager (''Cissopis leverianus'') is a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n species of

tanager The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropica ...

. It is the only member of the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''Cissopis''. As suggested by its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

, this blue-black and white species is superficially reminiscent of a

European magpie The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Palearctic, Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the Corvidae, crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belong ...

. With a total length of , a large percentage of which is tail, it is the longest species of tanager. It weighs . It is widespread in humid tropical and subtropical woodland, plantations, second growth, and parks in South America east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. It is absent from drier regions (such as the

Caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

) and most of north-eastern Brazil. In densely forested regions, it mainly occurs in relatively open sections (such as near major rivers). In such regions it is spreading with

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

, which opens up the habitat. It is largely restricted to lowlands, but occurs up to an altitude of on the east Andean slopes. It is common throughout most of its range, but rarer in the

Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

. Typically occurs in conspicuous, noisy pairs or groups of up to 10 individuals. Commonly takes part in mixed-species flocks. Often moves long tail up and down. Eats seed, fruits and insects. The cup-shaped nest is lined with grass, leaves or other plant materials and is located low in trees near the ground or in shrubs in dense vegetation. The 2 eggs are reddish-brown with brown spots. The incubation time is 12–13 days in captivity.

Taxonomy

The magpie tanager was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist

Johann Friedrich Gmelin , fields = , workplaces = University of GöttingenUniversity of Tübingen , alma_mater = University of Tübingen , doctoral_advisor = Philipp Friedrich GmelinFerdinand Christoph Oetinger , academic_advisors = , doctora ...

under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Lanius leverianus''. Gmelin's description was based on the "magpie shrike" that had been described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. The type locality is Cayenne. The magpie tanager is now the only species placed in the genus ''Cissopis'' that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist

Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot Louis Pierre Vieillot (10 May 1748, Yvetot – 24 August 1830, Sotteville-lès-Rouen) was a French ornithologist. Vieillot is the author of the first scientific descriptions and Linnaean names of a number of birds, including species he collecte ...

. The genus name ''Cissopis'' combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''kissa'' meaning "magpie" with ''-ōpis'' meaning "-faced". The specific epithet ''leverianus'' was chosen to honour the English collector

Ashton Lever Sir Ashton Lever Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 March 1729 – 28 January 1788) was an England, English collector of natural objects, in particular the Leverian collection.subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognised: * ''C. l. leverianus'' (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – east Colombia and south Venezuela through the Guianas and Amazonian Brazil to central Bolivia * ''C. l. major''

Cabanis Cabanis is the surname of: *George Cabanis (1815-1892), American politician *Jean Cabanis (1816–1906), German ornithologist *José Cabanis José Cabanis (2 March 1922 – 6 October 2000) was a French novelist, essayist, historian and magistrate ...

, 1851 – Paraguay, southeast Brazil and northeast Argentina

References

* Restall, R., Rodner, C., & Lentino, M. (2006). ''Birds of Northern South America''. Vol. 1 & 2. Helm, London. (vol. 1); (vol. 2). * Ridgely, R., & Greenfield, P. (2001). ''The Birds of Ecuador - Field Guide''. Cornell University Press.

External links

Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the magpie tanager

Magpie Tanager videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q1060456

magpie tanager The magpie tanager (''Cissopis leverianus'') is a South American species of tanager. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Cissopis''. As suggested by its common name, this blue-black and white species is superficially reminiscent of a ...

Birds of the Guianas Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of the Amazon Basin Birds of Brazil Birds of the Ecuadorian Amazon Birds of the Peruvian Amazon Birds of the Bolivian Amazon Birds of Paraguay

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN