The saffron-crowned tanager (''Tangara xanthocephala'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Thraupidae 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 ...

. Found in the northern

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 ...

of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, it inhabits

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

, forest edges, and

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

, preferring areas with mossy trees. It is an average-sized species of tanager with a blue-green body and yellow head with a black forecrown, lores, orbital area, and chin. It forages in pairs or small groups of 3–7 individuals that are part of mixed-species flocks. It is the most

frugivorous A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance and ...

species in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Tangara'', although it also feeds on insects. It forms breeding pairs and is thought to be

socially monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., polyga ...

. The only known nest contained a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

of two eggs. It is listed as being a species of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN) on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, but may be threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The saffron-crowned tanager was first described as ''Callospiza xanthocephala'' by Johann Tschudi in 1844 based on a specimen from Peru. The generic name ''Tangara'' is from the

Tupí Tupí, also known as ''formatge de tupí'', is a fermented cheese of a certain area of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees made from cows' or sheep's milk. It is a cheese traditionally prepared in the mountainous Pallars region, as well as in the Cerda ...

word ''tangara'', meaning "dancer". The specific name ''xanthocephala'' is from 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 ...

ξανθος (''xanthos''), meaning yellow, and κεφαλος (''kephalos''), meaning -headed. Saffron-crowned tanager is the official

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 ...

designated by the

International Ornithologists' Union The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...

. Other names for the species include saffron crowned tanager. It is one of 27 species in the genus '' Tangara''. Within the genus, it was placed in a

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

with the

blue-whiskered tanager The blue-whiskered tanager (''Tangara johannae'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the Chocó of Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat ...

, green-and-gold tanager, emerald tanager, golden tanager, silver-throated tanager, golden-eared tanager, and

flame-faced tanager The flame-faced tanager (''Tangara parzudakii'') is a species of bird in the tanager Family (biology), family Thraupidae. It is Endemism, endemic to South America and is found in the eastern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Its na ...

by Isler and Isler in 1987. This placement is supported by a 2004 study of

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

by Kevin Burns and Kazuya Naoki. Within the species group, the saffron-crowned tanager is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

formed by blue-whiskered tanager, green-and-gold tanager, emerald tanager, golden tanager, silver-throated tanager, and flame-faced tanager. The following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

shows

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

relationships within the species group based on the above study:

Subspecies

There are three recognized subspecies of the saffron-crowned tanager, which differ in the color of their crown. * ''T. x. venusta'' ( Sclater, PL, 1855): Occurs from southern Venezuela to central Peru. It has a pure yellow crown. * ''T. x. xanthocephala'' ( Tschudi, 1844): The nominate, it is found in central Peru. * ''T. x. lamprotis'' (Sclater, PL, 1851): Occurs from southeastern Peru to Bolivia. The crown is orange-yellow.

Description

The saffron-crowned tanager is an average-sized species of tanager, with a length of and a mass of . Both sexes look similar. Adults have a blue-green body with blackish streaking on the back. The forecrown, lores, orbital area (region around the eyes), and chin are black, while the rest of the head is yellow, with an orange tinge to the

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. The wings and tail feathers are black, edged blue-green. The center of the belly and the undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are s ...

are

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional ...

. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

is dark brown, the bill is black, and the feet are gray. Juveniles are similar to adults but duller and more greenish. They also have yellowish-green instead of yellow on the head and buff-edged underparts. The saffron-crowned tanager may be confused with the golden-eared and flame-faced tanagers. It can be distinguished by the former's black mid-crown and nape, and by the latter's solid black back and

opalescent Opalescence refers to the optical phenomena displayed by the mineraloid gemstone opalopalescent. 2019. In Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. Retrieved January 7, 2019, from https://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/opale ...

patch on wing coverts.

Vocalizations

The saffron-crowned tanager's calls include a thin, high-pitched ''tsit'' and a high-pitched descending ''tsew''. Its songs may be a series of squeaky, high-pitched notes.

Distribution and habitat

The saffron-crowned tanager is found in the

of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, where it inhabits

s, forest edges, and

. It is also found in shaded plantations and large trees next to clearings and pastures. The species shows a preference for areas with mossy trees and inhabits elevations between .

Behavior and ecology

The saffron-crowned tanager is generally found in pairs or small groups of 3–10 individuals, mainly in mixed-species flocks with other species of tanagers and other canopy birds. In Venezuela, it is most often seen with the

beryl-spangled tanager The beryl-spangled tanager (''Tangara nigroviridis'') is a small songbird of the northern Andes. Taxonomy First described by Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1843, the beryl-spangled tanager is one of dozens of tanager species in the genus ''Tangara' ...

, golden tanager, and black-capped tanager.

Diet

The saffron-crowned tanager is the most

species in its genus. Fruits consumed include ''

Cecropia ''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...

'', ''Morus'', ''

Miconia ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

'', and others in the family Melostomataceae. It also feeds on insects. The species is very active while foraging, with individuals constantly moving around or hopping while foraging. Foraging occurs primarily in the canopy, although fruit is foraged at all heights. Fruit is mainly gleaned while upright, but insects are foraged mainly from mossy branches by inspecting both sides of the branch, and then reaching into clumps of moss or sticking its whole head into moss.

Breeding

The saffron-crowned tanager forms breeding pairs and is thought to be

. Individuals in breeding plumage have been reported from March–July. Juveniles have been reported in April in Venezuela, in March, April, and September in Colombia, in February, April, and August in Peru, and in November and December in Bolivia. The only known nest was found in November and was placed at a height of in moss on the underside of the lowest branch of a tree, containing a

of two eggs.

Status

The saffron-crowned tanager is listed as being a species of

by the

(IUCN) on the

due to its large range and lack of significant population decline. However, the species is threatened by

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q645658 saffron-crowned tanager Birds of the Northern Andes saffron-crowned tanager Taxonomy articles created by Polbot