Bird Name:

Burnished-buff Tanager

Latin Name:

Tangara cayana

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Thraupidae

Genus: Tangara

Species: T. cayana

General Information:

The Burnished-buff Tanager is also known as the Rufus-crowned Tanager, and is a native species of South America. There are 7 subspecies of this bird.

Physical Description:

It is on average 5 – 5.5 inches in length and weighs about 18 g. It is generally yellowish in color with greenish wings. Although there are 7 different subspecies, the Burnished-buff Tanager is generally divided into two groups, the cayana group from north of the Amazon, Venezuela, and Colombia, and the flava group of southern and eastern Brazil. The main differentiation between the two groups is the broad black line that runs from the throat to the belly of the flava male. Females are much duller in color.

Diet:

It feeds on seeds and fruits, including berries and guava, as well as insects like wasps and termites. It forages from low in the bushes up to the treetops.

Habitat:

The Burnished-buff Tanager habits savannas, pastures, open woodlands, gallery forests, second growths, and cultivated areas (including gardens). Its range encompasses the Guyanas, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The Amazon River separates the two main groupings. It constructs open cup-nests from roots, leaves, and grass on foliaged branches generally 1.5 – 2.5 m above the ground.

Reproduction:

Breeding dates vary across its range. In Venezuela breeding occurs in January, April, and May. In Suriname it happens during January through April, July, and November. In Brazil the dates are in the months of October and November. A usual clutch is 2 brown-marked, whitish, lavender, or pale blue eggs.