Family Tanagers (Thraupidae)

Least Concern

Green-headed Tanager (Tangara seledon)

Taxonomy

French: Calliste à tête verte German: Dreifarbentangare Spanish: Tangara arcoiris

Taxonomy:

Tanagra Seledon

Statius Müller

, 1776,

Cayenne; error = Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

See T. fastuosa. Monotypic.

Distribution:

SE Brazil (from SE Bahia S to Santa Catarina and NE Rio Grande do Sul) and adjacent parts of SE Paraguay (Alto Paraná, Itapúa) and NE Argentina (Misiones).

Descriptive notes

13 cm; mean 18·7 g (nine birds from Paraguay), two others 16 g and 20 g. Brightly coloured tanager with complex plumage pattern reminiscent of that of T. chilensis... read more

Voice

Call a high, slightly buzzy “zweet” with rising inflection, and sometimes followed by... read more

Habitat

Found in canopy of humid forest, along forest borders, in small clearings with scattered trees and... read more

Food and feeding

Fruits, also arthropods. Takes wide variety of cultivated fruits, including oranges, papayas (Carica papaya) and bananas, as well... read more

Breeding

Season Nov–Feb in Brazil, and recorded in Nov and Dec in Paraguay and Nov in NE Argentina; apparently, second brood often attempted shortly... read more

Movements

Resident. Possible seasonal movements between forest and semi-open areas reported.

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Uncommon to locally fairly common. Despite occurrence in variety of disturbed and second-growth habitats, this species has, since late 1980s or... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Thraupidae

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In past, included in a much broader Emberizidae. Probably sister to Cardinalidae, with these two perhaps sister to Mitrospingidae#R #R #R #R. Family limits and internal structure extensively revised in recent years on basis of numerous genetic studies#R #R #R #R #R #R. These have led to subdivision into 15 subfamilies, as well as numerous other notable changes (as compared to HBW) including: relocation herein of Parkerthraustes and Saltator from Cardinalidae, and of Charitospiza, Coryphaspiza, Embernagra, Emberizoides, Incaspiza, Porphyrospiza, Tiaris, Euneornis, Loxipasser, Loxigilla, Melanospiza, Certhidea, Platyspiza, Pinaroloxias, Geospiza, Volatinia, Coryphospingus, Rhodospingus, Sporophila, Piezorina, Xenospingus, Poospiza, Donacospiza, Sicalis, Phrygilus, Nesospiza, Rowettia, Melanodera, Haplospiza, Acanthidops, Idiopsar, Catamenia, Lophospingus, Diuca, Gubernatrix and Paroaria from Emberizidae (=Passerellidae); and also removal of Chlorophonia and Euphonia to Fringillidae, of Rhodinocichla to Rhodinocichlidae, of Chlorospingus to Passerellidae, of Phaenicophilus to Phaenicophilidae, of Spindalis to Spindalidae, of Nesospingus to Nesospingidae, of Calyptophilus to Calyptophilidae, of Lamprospiza, Mitrospingus and Orthogonys to Mitrospingidae, and of Habia, Chlorothraupis and Piranga to Cardinalidae. Generic limits within family also extensively revised, and associated sequence of species followed herein#R.

Subfamily: Thraupinae

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“Core tanagers”, with over 100 species, including a clade most members of which (Lophospingus, Diuca, Gubernatrix, Paroaria) were previously treated in Emberizidae and one species (Pseudosaltator rufiventris) previously treated in Cardinalidae#R.

Genus: Tangara Brisson, 1760

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Recent molecular research revealed that genus Thraupis, which gives its name to the family, is embedded within Tangara, which is the older name; one option (adopted here) is to treat all remaining species in family in Tangara, while the other would require the use of Thraupis for species episcopus, sayaca, glaucocolpa, cyanoptera (Azure-shouldered Tanager), whitelyi, abbas, ornata and palmarum, along with resurrected Ixothraupis for varia, rufigula, punctata, guttata and xanthogastra, resurrected Chalcothraupis for ruficervix and fulvicervix, new genus Poecilostreptus for cabanisi and palmeri, and new genus Stilpnia for cyanoptera (= argentea, Black-headed Tanager), viridicollis, phillipsi, argyrofenges, heinei, larvata, cyanicollis, nigrocincta, peruviana, preciosa, meyerdeschauenseei, vitriolina, cayana, flava and cucullata#R.

See full taxonomic structure and notes