Blue-necked Tanager

Overview

The blue-necked tanager (Stilpnia cyanicollis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae native to South America. It inhabits the region stretching from Colombia to Bolivia.

Identification

• Averages 12 cm (4.7 in) in length and weighs approximately 17 g (5⁄8 oz).
• Features a blue hood and throat with wing coverts, wing edges, and rump ranging from turquoise to greenish straw.
• Posterior underparts are black, violet, or blue, while the beak, legs, and feet are black.
• Juveniles appear brownish gray with a hint of adult coloration.

Habitat

Found in South America from Colombia to Bolivia. Its natural habitats include subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

Diet

The diet consists of fruits, berries, flower blossoms, and insects, with fruit being the major dietary item. Tanagers forage by picking insects from leaves or sometimes in flight.

Did you know?

The female builds a cup nest of moss that is usually well concealed and lays an average of two white eggs with brown spotting. The male and female feed the nestlings on insects and fruit, and may be assisted by helpers.