The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird
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, in the order
Passeriformes
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
. The family has a
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
birds.
[
Traditionally, the family contained around 240 species of mostly brightly colored fruit-eating birds. As more of these birds were studied using modern molecular techniques, it became apparent that the traditional families were not ]monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
. ''Euphonia
Euphonias are members of the genus ''Euphonia'', a group of Neotropical birds in the finch family. They and the chlorophonias comprise the subfamily Euphoniinae.
The genus name is of Greek origin and refers to the birds' pleasing song, meanin ...
'' and ''Chlorophonia
''Chlorophonia'' is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. The Chlorophonias are endemic to the Neotropics. They are small, mostly bright green birds that inhabit humid forests and nearby habitats, especially in highlands.
The genus ' ...
'', which were once considered part of the tanager family, are now treated as members of the Fringillidae
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
, in their own subfamily (Euphoniinae
Euphoniinae is a subfamily of finches endemic to the Neotropics. It contains two genera, ''Euphonia'' and '' Chlorophonia''.
The two genera were at one time included in the tanager family Thraupidae. In a large phylogenetic study of the finch ...
). Likewise, the genera ''Piranga
''Piranga'' is a genus of birds long placed in the tanager family, but now considered members of the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. The genus name ''Piranga'' is from Tupi word ''tijepiranga'', the name for an unknown small bird.
Similar in s ...
'' (which includes the scarlet tanager
The scarlet tanager (''Piranga olivacea'') is a medium-sized American songbird. Until recently, it was placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), but it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging to the cardinal family (Cardin ...
, summer tanager
The summer tanager (''Piranga rubra'') is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumage and ...
, and western tanager
The western tanager (''Piranga ludoviciana''), is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), other members of its genus and it are classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumag ...
), '' Chlorothraupis'', and '' Habia'' appear to be members of the cardinal family
Cardinalidae (often referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-Endemism, endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and Passerina, buntings. It also includes several birds suc ...
, and have been reassigned to that family by the American Ornithological Society
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...
.
Description
Tanagers are small to medium-sized birds. The shortest-bodied species, the white-eared conebill
The white-eared conebill (''Conirostrum leucogenys'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
It is found in Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
A forest is an are ...
, is long and weighs , barely smaller than the short-billed honeycreeper
The short-billed honeycreeper (''Cyanerpes nitidus'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowla ...
. The longest, the 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 ...
is and weighs . The heaviest is the white-capped tanager
The white-capped tanager (''Sericossypha albocristata'') is a South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Sericossypha ''. It is the heaviest but not the longest species of tanager, at a weight of 11 ...
, which weighs and measures about . Both sexes are usually the same size and weight.
Tanagers are often brightly colored, but some species are black and white. Males are typically more brightly colored than females and juveniles. Most tanagers have short, rounded wings. The shape of the bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
seems to be linked to the species' foraging
Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's Fitness (biology), fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Optimal foraging theory, Foraging theory is a branch of behaviora ...
habits.
Distribution
Tanagers are restricted to the Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...
and mainly to the tropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
. About 60% of tanagers live in South America, and 30% of these species live in 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 ...
. Most species are endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to a relatively small area.
Behavior
Most tanagers live in pairs or in small groups of three to five individuals. These groups may consist simply of parents and their offspring. These birds may also be seen in single-species or mixed flocks. Many tanagers are thought to have dull songs
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...
, though some are elaborate.
Diet
Tanagers are omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...
, and their diets vary by genus. They have been seen eating fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
s, seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s, nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
, flower parts, and insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...
s. Many pick insects off branches or from holes in the wood. Other species look for insects on the undersides of leaves. Yet others wait on branches until they see a flying insect and catch it in the air. Many of these particular species inhabit the same areas, but these specializations alleviate competition.
Breeding
The breeding season is March through June in temperate areas and in September through October in 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 ...
. Some species are territorial, while others build their nests closer together. Little information is available on tanager breeding behavior. Males show off their brightest feathers to potential mates and rival males. Some species' courtship rituals involve bowing and tail lifting.
Most tanagers build cup nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American robin or Eurasian bl ...
s on branches in trees. Some nests
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...
are almost globular. Entrances are usually built on the side of the nest. The nests can be shallow or deep. The species of the tree in which they choose to build their nests and the nests' positions vary among genera. Most species nest in an area hidden by very dense vegetation. No information is yet known regarding the nests of some species.
The 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). ...
size is three to five eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
. The female incubates the eggs and builds the nest, but the male may feed the female while she incubates. Both sexes feed the young. Five species have helpers assist in feeding the young. These helpers are thought to be the previous year's nestlings.
Taxonomy
The family Thraupidae was introduced (as the subfamily Thraupinae) in 1847 by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis
Jean Louis Cabanis (8 March 1816 – 20 February 1906) was a German ornithologist.
Cabanis was born in Berlin to an old Huguenot family who had moved from France. Little is known of his early life. He studied at the University of Berlin from 18 ...
. The type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...
is ''Thraupis
''Thraupis'' is a genus of birds of the tanager family occurring from Mexico to Argentina and Brazil. Some are familiar species with large ranges. In Brazil it's called Pipira-azul ''(''pronn'': peepeeră, æzoól'') when it has a tone blue col ...
''.
The family Thraupidae is a member of an assemblage of over 800 birds known as the New World, nine-primaried oscines. The traditional pre-molecular classification was largely based on the different feeding specializations. Nectar-feeders were placed in Coerebidae (honeycreepers), large-billed seed-eaters in Cardinalidae (cardinals and grosbeaks), smaller-billed seed-eaters in Emberizidae (New World finches and
sparrows), ground-foraging insect-eaters in Icteridae (blackbirds) and fruit-eaters
in Thraupidae.[ This classification was known to be problematic as analyses using other morphological characteristics often produced conflicting phylogenies.][ Beginning in the last decade of the 20th century, a series of ]molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
studies led to a complete reorganization of the tradition families. Thraupidae now includes large-billed seed eaters, thin-billed nectar feeders, foliage gleaners as well as fruit-eaters.[
One consequence of redefining the family boundaries is that for many species their common names are no longer congruent with the families in which they are placed. As of July 2020 there are 39 species with "tanager" in the common name that are not placed in Thraupidae. These include the widely distributed ]scarlet tanager
The scarlet tanager (''Piranga olivacea'') is a medium-sized American songbird. Until recently, it was placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), but it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging to the cardinal family (Cardin ...
and western tanager
The western tanager (''Piranga ludoviciana''), is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), other members of its genus and it are classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumag ...
which are both now placed in Cardinalidae
Cardinalidae (often referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. It also includes several birds such as the tanager-lik ...
. There are also 106 species within Thraupidae that have "finch" in their common name.[
A ]molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study published in 2014 revealed that many of the traditional genera were not monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
. In the resulting reorganization six new genera were introduced, eleven genera were resurrected and seven genera were abandoned.
As of July 2021 the family contains 386 species which are divided into 15 subfamilies and 106 genera.[ For a complete list, see the article List of tanager species.
]
List of genera
Catamblyrhynchinae
The plushcap has no close relatives and is now placed in its own subfamily. It was previously placed either in the subfamily Catamblyrhynchinae within the Emberizidae or in its own family Catamblyrhynchidae.[
]
Charitospizinae
The coal-crested finch is endemic to the grasslands of Brazil and has no close relatives. It is unusual in that both sexes have a crest. It was formerly placed in Emberizidae.
Orchesticinae
Two species with large thick bills. ''Parkerthraustes'' was formerly placed in Cardinalidae.
Nemosiinae
Brightly colored sexually dichromatic birds, most form single-species flocks
Emberizoidinae
Grassland dwelling birds that were formerly placed in Emberizidae.
Porphyrospizinae
Yellow billed birds: The blue finch
The blue finch or yellow-billed blue finch (''Porphyrospiza caerulescens'') is a species of small bird. Although it was long classified in the bunting family Emberizidae, or the cardinal family Cardinalidae, more recent molecular studies have sho ...
(''Porphyrospiza caerulescens'') was formerly placed in the Cardinalidae; the other species were formerly placed in Emberizidae.
Hemithraupinae
These species are sexually dichromatic and many have yellow and black plumage. Except for ''Heterospingus'' they have slender bills.
Dacninae
Sexually dichromatic species—males have blue plumage and females are green.
Saltatorinae
Mainly arboreal with long tails and thick bills. Formerly placed in Cardinalidae
Cardinalidae (often referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. It also includes several birds such as the tanager-lik ...
.
Coerebinae
This subfamily includes Darwin's finches that are endemic to the Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...
and Cocos Island
Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas ...
. Most of these species were formerly placed in the Emberizidae; the exceptions are the bananaquit that was placed in the Parulidae
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...
and the orangequit that was placed in the Thraupidae. These species build domed or covered nests with side entrances. They have evolved a variety of foraging techniques, including nectar-feeding (''Coereba'', ''Euneornis''), seed-eating (''Geospiza'', ''Loxigilla'', ''Tiaris''), and insect gleaning (''Certhidea'').[
]Darwin's finches
Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or t ...
:
Tachyphoninae
Most of these are lowland species. Many have ornamental features such as crests, and many have sexually dichromatic plumage.[
]
Sporophilinae
These species were formerly placed in Emberizidae.
Poospizinae
Some of these species were formerly placed in Emberizidae.
Diglossinae
This is a morphologically diverse group that includes seed-eaters (''Nesospiza'', ''Sicalis'', ''Catamenia'', ''Haplospiza''), arthropod feeders (''Conirostrum''), a bamboo specialist (''Acanthidops''), an aphid feeder (''Xenodacnis''), and boulder field specialists (''Idiopsar''). Many species live at high altitudes. ''Conirostrum'' was previously placed in Parulidae, ''Diglossa'' was placed in Thraupidae and the remaining genera were placed in Emberizidae.[
]
Thraupinae
Typical tanagers
Genera formerly placed in Thraupidae
Passerellidae
New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.
Although they share t ...
– New World sparrows
*''Chlorospingus
''Chlorospingus'' is a genus of perching birds, the bush tanagers, traditionally placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae). More recent studies which suggest they are closely related to the genus '' Arremonops'' in the Passerellidae (American spa ...
'' – eight species - bush-tanagers
*'' Oreothraupis'' – tanager finch
Cardinalidae
Cardinalidae (often referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. It also includes several birds such as the tanager-lik ...
– cardinals
* ''Piranga
''Piranga'' is a genus of birds long placed in the tanager family, but now considered members of the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. The genus name ''Piranga'' is from Tupi word ''tijepiranga'', the name for an unknown small bird.
Similar in s ...
'' – 9 species - northern tanagers
* '' Habia'' – five species - ant-tanagers or habias
* '' Chlorothraupis'' – three species
* ''Amaurospiza
''Amaurospiza'' is a genus of birds in the cardinal family Cardinalidae.
Taxonomy and species list
The genus ''Amaurospiza '' was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1861 with Cabanis's seedeater as the type species. The name ...
'' – four species
Fringillidae
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
– subfamily Euphoniinae
Euphoniinae is a subfamily of finches endemic to the Neotropics. It contains two genera, ''Euphonia'' and '' Chlorophonia''.
The two genera were at one time included in the tanager family Thraupidae. In a large phylogenetic study of the finch ...
* ''Euphonia
Euphonias are members of the genus ''Euphonia'', a group of Neotropical birds in the finch family. They and the chlorophonias comprise the subfamily Euphoniinae.
The genus name is of Greek origin and refers to the birds' pleasing song, meanin ...
'' – 27 species
* ''Chlorophonia
''Chlorophonia'' is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. The Chlorophonias are endemic to the Neotropics. They are small, mostly bright green birds that inhabit humid forests and nearby habitats, especially in highlands.
The genus ' ...
'' – five species
Phaenicophilidae – Hispaniolan tanagers
* '' Microligea'' – green-tailed warbler
* '' Xenoligea'' – white-winged warbler
* ''Phaenicophilus
''Phaenicophilus'' is a genus of birds that was formerly placed in the family Thraupidae, but is now placed in the Hispaniolan tanager family Phaenicophilidae. Its members are sometimes known as palm-tanagers.
The genus ''Phaenicophilus'' was i ...
'' – two species
Mitrospingidae – Mitrospingid tanagers[
* '' Mitrospingus'' – two species
* '' Orthogonys'' – olive-green tanager
* '' Lamprospiza'' – red-billed pied tanager
]Nesospingidae
The Puerto Rican tanager (''Nesospingus speculiferus'') is a small passerine bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. It is the only member of the genus ''Nesospingus'' and has historically been placed in the tanager family, but recent st ...
* '' Nesospingus'' – Puerto Rican tanager[
]Spindalidae
''Spindalis'' is a genus consisting of four non-migratory species of bird. It is the only genus in the family Spindalidae. The species are mostly endemic to the West Indies; exceptions include populations of western spindalises on Cozumel Island ...
* ''Spindalis
''Spindalis'' is a genus consisting of four non-migratory species of bird. It is the only genus in the family Spindalidae. The species are mostly endemic to the West Indies; exceptions include populations of western spindalises on Cozumel Island ...
'' – four species - spindalises[
Calyptophilidae
* '']Calyptophilus
''Calyptophilus'' is a genus of bird formerly placed in the family Thraupidae. The group was found to be distinct enough to be placed in its own family, Calyptophilidae. Established by Charles Barney Cory in 1884, it contains the following speci ...
'' – two species - chat-tanagers[
]Rhodinocichlidae
The rosy thrush-tanager (''Rhodinocichla rosea'') or rose-breasted thrush-tanager is a species of bird in the currently monotypic genus ''Rhodinocichla''. It was formerly assigned to the family Thraupidae and more recently viewed as being of unce ...
* '' Rhodinocichla'' – rosy thrush-tanager[
]
References
Further reading
*
External links
Jungle-walk.com tanager pictures
Tanager videos, photos and sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q666222
*
Taxa named by Jean Cabanis