The Beryl-Spangled Tanager Is a Bird With a Stunning Iridescent Turquoise Appearance
The Beryl-spangled Tanager stands out the moment you see it, with turquoise, blue, green, and black plumage that looks almost painted on. Its name fits perfectly, since the bird’s spangled coloring gives it a vivid, jewel-like appearance.
This tiny songbird, which measures just 5.1 inches long, lives in the Andean cloud forests of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru. It feeds on fruit and nectar, helps spread seeds, and plays a quiet but important role in the forests it calls home.
From its mossy nest to its stable population, there is more to this little bird than its looks, and the details make it even more interesting.
The Beryl-Spangled Tanager (Tangara nigroviridis) Gets Its Name from Its Spangled Appearance
The female of the species has the same spangled appearance as the male, although the male is much more vibrant.
This is a tiny songbird measuring only 5.1 inches in length
It can be found in tropical areas of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru at elevations of 4,900 to 9,500 feet
The female lays 2 to 5 eggs. She incubates them for 13 to 15 days.
The Beryl-spangled Tanager is a member of the Tanager family, which contains around 240 species of mostly brightly colored fruit-eating birds.
Tanagers are small to medium-sized birds. The shortest-bodied species, the white-eared conebill, measures 4 inches long and weighs 0.2 oz, barely smaller than the short-billed honeycreeper.
The longest, the magpie tanager, is 11 inches long and weighs 2.7 oz. The heaviest is the white-capped tanager, which weighs 4.02 oz and measures about 9.4 inches.
Both sexes are usually the same size and weight. Tanagers are often brightly colored, although some species are black and white.
Males are typically more brightly colored than females and juveniles. Most tanagers have short, rounded wings.
The shape of the bill appears to be linked to the species' foraging habits.
It Feeds on Fruit and Nectar.
Watch It on Video Here:
Besides being beautiful, these birds are very important to the ecosystem.
The Beryl-spangled Tanager has a very wide range and a stable population, so it is not classified as an endangered species. It is evaluated as Least Concern.
So, if you are planning a trip to Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, or Brazil, be sure to add seeing these birds to your “must-do” list.
A bird this colorful is hard to forget.
Before you go, see the tiny bee hummingbird that looks like it was built for flight, not feeding.
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