Blue-capped tanager facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-capped tanager |
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| In El Ávila National Park, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sporathraupis
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| Species: |
cyanocephala
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| Synonyms | |
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Aglaia cyanocephala (protonym) |
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The Blue-capped Tanager (Sporathraupis cyanocephala) is a colorful bird. It belongs to the tanager family. This bird is easy to spot because of its bright blue head. That's how it got its name!
This tanager lives in several South American countries. You can find it in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It also lives in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Its favorite places to live are moist montane forests. These are forests found on mountains. It can also live in areas where forests used to be, even if they are now changed.
About the Blue-capped Tanager
The Blue-capped Tanager is a small to medium-sized bird. It has bright feathers. Its most striking feature is its deep blue cap. This cap covers the top of its head. The rest of its body is often a mix of green and yellow. Some birds might have a bit of orange or brown. These colors help it blend in with the forest leaves.
These birds usually live in pairs or small groups. They often join mixed-species flocks. This means they fly and feed with other types of birds. They mostly eat fruits and insects. They help spread seeds in the forest. This helps new plants grow.
Where it Lives
The Blue-capped Tanager prefers cooler, humid mountain forests. These forests are often called cloud forests. They are usually found at higher elevations. This bird likes areas with lots of trees and thick plant growth. It can also adapt to areas that have been changed by people. This includes gardens and coffee plantations. As long as there are enough trees, it can find a home.
How it Got its Name
Scientists give every animal a special two-part name. This is called a binomial name. The Blue-capped Tanager was first described in 1837. Two French naturalists, Alcide d'Orbigny and Frédéric de Lafresnaye, gave it its first scientific name. They called it Aglaia cyanocephala.
For a long time, this bird was placed in the Thraupis group of tanagers. But in 2014, scientists did a new study. They looked closely at the bird's DNA. They found that it was not closely related to other Thraupis tanagers. So, they moved it to its own unique group. This group is called Sporathraupis.
The name Sporathraupis comes from ancient Greek words. Spora means "seed." Thraupis was a word for a small bird. The second part of its name, cyanocephala, also comes from Greek. Kuanos means "dark blue." -kephalos means "-headed." So, its name literally means "blue-headed seed-bird." This makes sense because of its blue head and what it eats!
Scientists have identified different types of Blue-capped Tanagers. These are called subspecies. They have slight differences in their looks or where they live. There are several known subspecies across its range.
