Swallow tangar

Swallow tangar

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With a body length of around 14 cm, the swallow tanager(Tersina viridis) is a medium-sized representative of the tanager family (Thraupidae) and forms its own genus Tersina. It is found in the northern half of South America, as far north as Argentina.

Compared to most other tanager species, the Swallow-tailed Tanager has a relatively short tail, short legs and a broad, flat beak. Males and females of the swallow tanager look very different. The male's plumage is almost completely bright turquoise in colour. Only the wing feathers, parts of the tail and an area around the eyes are black. The female, on the other hand, is mostly grass green in colour, with the wing feathers also black. In addition, parts of the head are grey and the belly is pale yellow.

Swallow tanagers live mainly on the edges of wet and dry forests or in open woodlands at an altitude of up to 1800 metres above sea level. Here they go in search of their food, which consists mainly of fruit, berries and insects. The ratio between vegetarian and animal food probably depends heavily on the time of year. When searching for suitable fruit trees, swallow tanagers often form loose groups in order to find the best feeding grounds together. When hunting insects, especially swarming termites and ants, they are usually skilfully caught in the air.

The breeding season of the swallow tanager is between February and October. The nest is built exclusively by the female from various plant fibres in a cave. The clutch usually consists of 3, occasionally 4 white eggs, which are incubated by the female for between 13 and 17 days. The male only becomes involved again when the young are being fed. They take around 24 days to fledge and leave the nest.

Due to its extremely large range and the fact that it occurs in many protected areas, the population of the swallow tanager is currently not endangered. They are even quite common in some parts of their range.