| Blue-gray Tanager |
Shopping Tanager |
Information AboutBlue-gray Tanager |
The Blue-gray Tanager, ''Thraupis episcopus'', is a medium-sized South America n Songbird of the Tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil . It has been introduced to Lima , Peru . The breeding habitat is open woodland, cultivated areas and gardens. One to three, usually two, dark-marked whitish to grey green eggs are laid in a deep cup nest in a high tree fork or building crevice. Incubation by the female is 14 days with another 17 to fledging. The nest is sometimes parasitised by '' Molothrus '' cowbirds. The Blue-gray Tanager is 18 cm long and weighs 35 g. Adults have a pale blue-gray head and underparts, with darker blue upperparts. The bill is short and quite thick. Sexes are similar, but the immature is much duller in plumage. There are a number of races. ''T. e. berlepschi'' is Endemic to Tobago , and is a brighter and darker blue on the rump and shoulder. ''T. e. neosophila'', with a violet shoulder patch, occurs in northern Venezuela , Trinidad , eastern Colombia and the far north of Brazil. ''T. e.mediana'' of the southern Amazon basin has a white wing patch, and ''T. e. cana'' in the northern Amazon has blue shoulders. The Blue-gray Tanager lives mainly on fruit, but will also take some nectar and Insect s. This is a common, restless, noisy and confiding species, usually found in pairs, but sometimes small groups. It thrives around human habitation, and will take some cultivated fruit like Papaya . The song is a squeaky twittering, interspersed with ''tseee'' and ''tsuup'' call notes. REFERENCES
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