Yellow-winged Tanager
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-winged Tanager, Thraupis abbas, is a neotropical member of the tanager
family. It is of average size for a tanager, about 18 centimetres (7 inches long). It is distinguished by the yellow patches on its dusky green wings, marking an otherwise dark bluish and gray body. It has a pale lavender tone on its throat and breast. The juvenile lacks this color, but has an olive-green head and upper back.
, it is a species of open humid and mesic
woodland. It often forms flocks of 50 or more members. It feeds on fruit, insects, and nectar. The call is high and sibilant, and may be given in flight or while perched.
es. It is placed at mid-height on trees. The female lays 3 eggs, which are gray, mottled with brown.
and Caribbean
coasts from the states of Veracruz
and the extreme south of San Luis Potosi
in Mexico
through the Yucatán Peninsula
to Nicaragua
, and on the Pacific coast from the Mexican state of Chiapas
to Honduras
. It is generally relatively common throughout this range.
Since October 2010, it has been registered in Los Chiles, Northern Costa Rica.
Tanager
The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...
family. It is of average size for a tanager, about 18 centimetres (7 inches long). It is distinguished by the yellow patches on its dusky green wings, marking an otherwise dark bluish and gray body. It has a pale lavender tone on its throat and breast. The juvenile lacks this color, but has an olive-green head and upper back.
Behavior and habitat
Like other members of the genus ThraupisThraupis
Thraupis is a genus of birds of the tanager family occurring from Mexico to Argentina. Some are familiar species with large ranges. As currently defined the genus includes 9 species, but this includes species from two separate clades. Consequently, the genus is paraphyletic and two species...
, it is a species of open humid and mesic
Mesic
Mesic may refer to:* Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States* Mesic habitat, a type of habitat...
woodland. It often forms flocks of 50 or more members. It feeds on fruit, insects, and nectar. The call is high and sibilant, and may be given in flight or while perched.
Nest and eggs
The nest of the Yellow-winged Tanager is a small cup-shaped nest of dried fibers, leaves, and mossMoss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es. It is placed at mid-height on trees. The female lays 3 eggs, which are gray, mottled with brown.
Range
The Yellow-winged Tanager is found on the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
coasts from the states of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and the extreme south of San Luis Potosi
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
through the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and on the Pacific coast from the Mexican state of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
to Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. It is generally relatively common throughout this range.
Since October 2010, it has been registered in Los Chiles, Northern Costa Rica.
External links
- Yellow-winged Tanager videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Yellow-winged Tanager photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res-(Close-up, showing yellow wing)