Blue-gray Tanager

The Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus, is a medium-sized songbird of the tanager family, Thraupidae. It presents a delightful palette of blue hues, with a light bluish head and underparts, and darker blue upperparts. A distinctive shoulder patch, varying in color among subspecies, adds to its charm. Both sexes are similar in appearance, with the immature birds showing a much duller plumage.

Identification Tips

Adults measure between 16–18 cm in length and weigh approximately 30–40 grams. They possess a short and quite thick bill. The shoulder patch coloration is a key feature for identification, ranging from lavender to dark blue or white, depending on the subspecies.

Habitat

The Blue-gray Tanager is found in open woodlands, cultivated areas, and gardens. It is a species that has adapted well to human-altered landscapes.

Distribution

This species has a broad range, extending from Mexico through Central America, South America to northeast Bolivia, and northern Brazil, encompassing all of the Amazon Basin except its southernmost part. It has also been introduced to Lima, Peru, and is native to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Behaviour

The Blue-gray Tanager is known for being a common, restless, and confiding bird, often seen in pairs or small groups. It is quite at home in human habitation and is known to partake of cultivated fruits such as papayas.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of this tanager include a squeaky twittering, with interspersed 'tseee' and 'tsuup' call notes.

Breeding

Breeding habitats are typically high tree forks or building crevices where a deep cup nest is constructed. The female lays one to three, usually two, dark-marked whitish to gray-green eggs. Incubation lasts about 14 days, with a further 17 days to fledging. The species is occasionally targeted by parasitic Molothrus cowbirds.

Similar Species

Subspecies variation primarily involves the hue of the shoulder patch and the overall color of the plumage, which can be used to differentiate between them.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of fruit, with occasional nectar, insects, and other arthropods. The Blue-gray Tanager is often seen foraging for wild fruits in abandoned pasture lands.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-gray Tanager as Least Concern, reflecting its widespread and common presence across a large range.

Subspecies

There are 14 recognized subspecies of the Blue-gray Tanager, each with slight variations in plumage and shoulder patch coloration. Notable examples include T. e. berlepschi from Tobago and T. e. cana from the northern Amazon.