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The nest of a Blue-grey tanager is built from just above the ground up to 100 feet in the trees.
photo: Tom Gillespie
Characteristics: Mostly pale grayish blue with the darkest shades on the back, 6 ½ - 6 ¾ “ (16.5 – 17 cm) tall. The flight feathers are edged with bright blue. The color of the shoulders and upper wing coverts varies with the range.
Both sexes look a like although the female is slightly duller in color. The young are a dull greenish grey color. Their voice is a dry, slightly strained ‘tsoop’ sometimes followed by a series of unpatterned twittering notes.
Diet: When foraging they are notably versatile in scanning branches and foliage, flycatching and visiting fruiting and flowering trees. At the N.C. Zoo they are given a fruigivore diet made up of Bird of Paradise pellets mixed with chopped fruits and vegetables. They are also offered mealworms and waxworms daily.
Reproduction: They build a thick cup shape nest made up of the bark of palms and plant hairs. The nest is built from just above the ground up to 100 feet in the trees. They commonly build in leafy trees such as orange, avocado and calabash. They will sometimes steal nests from other species; especially those of the Golden-masked tanager and often the “thief” will incubate the builder’s egg along with her own. The clutch size is 2-3 eggs that are light bluish gray with brown spots. The female incubates for 12-14 days and the male feeds her during this period. Both parents care for the young and the chicks will leave the nest in 17-20 days. In general, at least two broods will be raised in a season.
References:
- Ridgley, Robert and Guy Tudor – 1989 – The Birds of South America Vol. I The Oscine Passerines- World Wildlife Fund, Inc.
- Hilty, Steven and William Brown – 1986 – Birds of Columbia – Princeton University Press
- Ridgley, Roberts – 1981- A guide to the Birds of Panama- Princeton University Press
- Gutch, A.F. – 1981 – Birds – Their Latin Names Explained – Blandford Press
- De Schauensee, Randolphe Meyer and William H. Phelps – 1978 – A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela – Princeton University Press
- Norgard-Olesen, E. – 1973- Tanagers – Skibby Books, Inc.
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N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
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