Palm Tanager
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| Palm Tanager | ||||||||||||||
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 immature
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| Thraupis palmarum (Wied, 1821) |
The Palm Tanager, Thraupis palmarum, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder from Nicaragua south to Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil. It also breeds on Trinidad and, since 1962, on Tobago. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is known by colloquial names such as the 'Palmiste' and the 'Green Jean'.
It occurs in semi-open areas including cultivation and gardens. The bulky cup nest is built in a tree, usually a palm, or under the eaves of a house, and the female incubates three, sometimes two, brown-blotched cream eggs for 14 days, with another 17 days to fledging.
Adult Palm Tanagers are 19 cm long and weigh 36 g. They are dull olive-green with a paler crown. The flight feathers are black, and the long tail is black edged with green. A yellow wingbar shows in flight. Sexes are similar, although females may be somewhat paler.
Palm Tanagers are social, restless but unwary birds which eat a wide variety of small fruit. They also regularly take some nectar and insects, including caterpillars. The song is fast and squeaky.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Thraupis palmarum. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
- ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd edition, Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
[edit] External links
- Palm Tanager videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Palm Tanager photo gallery VIREO
- Photo-High Res; Article nationalzoo.si.edu–"Smithsonian: Migratory Bird Center"
