Chestnut-backed Tanager
Stilpnia preciosa
Overview
The chestnut-backed tanager (Stilpnia preciosa) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It was previously considered a colour morph of the black-backed tanager but is now recognised as a distinct species due to different habitat preferences and breeding ranges.
Identification
- Characterised by a blue-green breast and chestnut back.
- Females are virtually indistinguishable by plumage from the rarer black-backed tanager.
Habitat
Found in mature forests, especially at the edges, up to 1,000 m elevation in southern Brazil, north-eastern Argentina, eastern Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Diet
Eats a variety of arthropods and both wild and cultivated fruits. It forages in pairs and in small, often mixed-species, flocks.
Did you know?
The two sexes and its close relative, the black-backed tanager, are so similar in appearance that female chestnut-backed tanagers are virtually indistinguishable by plumage from female black-backed tanagers.