# Turquoise tanager > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Turquoise_tanager > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Turquoise_tanager.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise_tanager > Source revision: 1320603350 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | name = Turquoise tanager | image = Saíra-de-bando.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = {{cite iucn|article-number=e.T103849376A119556880|title=''Tangara mexicana'' |amends=2016 |author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103849376A119556880.en |year=2017 |access-date=4 December 2023}} | taxon = Tangara mexicana | authority = ([Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus), 1766) | synonyms = ''Tanagra mexicana'' {{small|Linnaeus, 1766}} | range_map = Tangara mexicana map.svg | range_map_caption = Range }} The '''turquoise tanager''' ('''''Tangara mexicana''''') is a medium-sized [passerine](/source/passerine) bird in the tanager family [Thraupidae](/source/Thraupidae). It is a resident bird from [Trinidad](/source/Trinidad), much of [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), and [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela), and south to [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia). Despite its scientific name, it is not found in [Mexico](/source/Mexico). It is restricted to areas with humid forest, with its primary distribution being the [Amazon](/source/Amazon_rainforest). It was formerly treated as being [conspecific](/source/conspecific) with the white-bellied tanager which is found in the [Atlantic Forest](/source/Atlantic_Forest) of eastern Brazil. It occurs in forest, woodland, and cultivation. The bulky cup nest is built in a tree or shrub, and the female incubates three brown-blotched grey-green eggs. These are social birds usually found in groups. They eat a wide variety of [fruit](/source/fruit) and also take [insect](/source/insect)s and other [arthropod](/source/arthropod)s,{{cite web| url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Tangara_mexicana%20-%20Turquoise%20Tanager.pdf | title=Tangara mexicana (Turquoise Tanager) | publisher=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago | access-date=2024-02-11}} often [gleaned](/source/gleaning_(birds)) from twigs. ==Taxonomy== The turquoise tanager was [formally described](/source/Species_description) in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist [Carl Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus) in the [12th edition](/source/12th_edition_of_Systema_Naturae) of his ''[Systema Naturae](/source/Systema_Naturae)'' under the [binomial name](/source/binomial_nomenclature) ''Tanagra mexicana''.{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1766 | title=Systema naturae: per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=12th | volume=1, Part 1 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | page=315 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42946511 }} His description was principally based on [Mathurin Jacques Brisson](/source/Mathurin_Jacques_Brisson)'s ''Le tangara blue de Cayenne'' that he had described and illustrated in 1760.{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | volume=3 | language=French, Latin | page=6, [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35953060 Plate 1 fig. 3] | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35953025 }} The [type locality](/source/type_locality_(biology)) is [Cayenne](/source/Cayenne) in [French Guiana](/source/French_Guiana).{{ cite book | editor-last=Paynter | editor-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1970 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=13 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=361 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14483596 }} The turquoise tanager is now placed in the [genus](/source/genus) ''[Tangara](/source/Tangara_(genus))'' that was introduced by Brisson.{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | language=French, Latin | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | at=[https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36010434 Vol. 1 p. 36] and [https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35953028 Vol. 3 p. 3] }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2023 | title=Tanagers and allies | work=IOC World Bird List Version 13.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/tanagers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=9 February 2023}} Four [subspecies](/source/subspecies) are recognised: * ''T. m. vieilloti'' ([Sclater, PL](/source/Philip_Sclater), 1857) – Trinidad * ''T. m. media'' ([Berlepsch](/source/Hans_von_Berlepsch) & [Hartert](/source/Ernst_Hartert), 1902) – east Colombia and Venezuela * ''T. m. mexicana'' ([Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus), 1766) – the Guianas to central Brazil * ''T. m. boliviana'' ([Bonaparte](/source/Charles_Lucien_Bonaparte), 1851) – southeast Colombia to east Ecuador, east Peru, west Brazil and north Bolivia The [white-bellied tanager](/source/white-bellied_tanager) (''Tangara brasiliensis'') was formerly treated as a subspecies. ==Description== thumb|''T. m. vieiloti'' from Trinidad is the darkest subspecies Adult turquoise tanagers are {{cvt|14|cm}} long and weigh 20 g. They are long-tailed and with a dark stout pointed bill. The adult is mainly dark blue and black, with turquoise edging to the [primaries](/source/Primary_feathers). Most races have yellow lower underparts, but this is paler, more [cream](/source/Cream_(colour)), in the [nominate subspecies](/source/nominate_subspecies) found in north-eastern [South America](/source/South_America). The Trinidadian race, ''T. m. vieiloti'', has a darker blue head and breast and more vividly yellow underparts than the mainland [taxa](/source/taxa). Their song is a fast squeaky chatter ''tic-tic-tic-tic-tic''. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Tangara-mexicana Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the turquoise tanager] *[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=9250 Turquoise Tanager videos] on the Internet Bird Collection *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001026161414/http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/20118800.htm Stamps]}} (for [Suriname](/source/Suriname)) with RangeMap–(shows the [disjunct range](/source/Disjunct_distribution) in [coastal](/source/coastal_strip) SEast Brazil) *[http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=turquoise+tanager&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Turquoise Tanager photo gallery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516112255/http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=turquoise+tanager&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 |date=2011-05-16 }} VIREO {{Taxonbar|from=Q2669189}} turquoise tanager Category:Birds of the Amazon rainforest Category:Birds of Trinidad and Tobago turquoise tanager turquoise tanager --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Turquoise tanager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise_tanager) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise_tanager?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.