Palm tanager

This article is about the widespread Central and South American species of tanager. Not to be confused with the Hispaniola-endemic genus Phaenicophilus, the members of which are sometimes known as palm tanagers or palm-tanagers.

Palm tanager
T. p. melanoptera, Trinidad
T. p. melanoptera, Colombia
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thraupidae
Genus:	Thraupis
Species:	T. palmarum
Binomial name
Thraupis palmarum (Wied, 1821)

The palm tanager (Thraupis palmarum) is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder from Nicaragua south to Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil.^[2][3] It also breeds on Trinidad and, since 1962, on Tobago. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is known by colloquial names such as the "palmiste" on American Spanish countries (Colombian pronn: "pūlmist"), Brazil Pipira-verde (Portuguese pron: "pəəpəərā-værd") and the "green jean" in American English.^[4]

Description

Adult palm tanagers are 19 cm (7.5 in) long and weigh 36 g (1.3 oz). They are grey to dull olive-green. The flight feathers are blackish, and the long tail is blackish edged with green. A yellow wingbar shows in flight. Sexes are similar, although females may be somewhat paler.

Range and habitat

It occurs in semi-open areas including cultivation and gardens. The bulky cup nest is built in a tree, usually a palm, or under the eaves of a house, and the female incubates three, sometimes two, brown-blotched cream eggs for 14 days, with another 17 days to fledging.

Behavior

Palm tanagers are social, restless but unwary birds which eat a wide variety of small fruit. They also regularly take some nectar, flower petals and insects, including caterpillars.^[5] The song is fast and squeaky.

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Thraupis palmarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.{{cite iucn}}: old-form url (help)
2. "Thraupis palmarum Wied-Neuwied, 1821". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
3. Hilty, Steven L., 1945- (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5. OCLC 51031554.
4. ffrench, Richard. (1991). A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago. O'Neill, John P., 1942-, Eckelberry, Don R. (2nd ed.). Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Pub. Associates. ISBN 0-8014-2567-0. OCLC 23016733.
5. Hilty, Steven (2020). "Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum), version 1.0". Birds of the World.

External links

• "Palm tanager media". Internet Bird Collection.
• Palm tanager photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Palm tanager Photos at Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
• BirdLife species factsheet for Thraupis palmarum
• Palm tanager species account at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• Interactive range map of Thraupis palmarum at IUCN Red List maps
• Audio recordings of Palm tanager on Xeno-canto.