Sayaca Tanagers

The Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca) is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, the tanagers.

Distribution / Range

It is a common resident in northeastern, central, and southeastern Brazil, and Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeast Argentina. There are a few records from far south-eastern Peru, but its status there is unclear, in part due to the potential of confusion with the very similar juveniles of the Blue-grey Tanager.

It occurs in a wide range of open to semi-open habitats but generally avoids the interior of dense forest (such as the Amazon).

The Sayaca Tanager visits farmland in search of orchards and adapts readily to urban environment, as long as there is some arboreal cover and a supply of fruits available.

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Diet / Feeding

It feeds on flowers, buds, and insects, and this omnivorous lifestyle has helped it to become perhaps the most — or one of the most — common urban birds in southeastern Brazil, along with the Rufous-bellied Thrush.

Blue-and-yellow Tanager (Thraupis bonariensis)
Sayaca Tanagers (Thraupis sayaca) - Feeding each other as part of the mating ritual
Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca)
Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca)
Sayaca Tanager Chick (Thraupis sayaca)
Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca)
Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca)
Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca)
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