TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves (Feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic, egg-laying, vertebrates)
Order: Passeriformes (passerines or perching birds)
Family: Thraupidae (Tanagers)
Genus/species: Thraupis episcopus
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Blue-gray Tanagers are medium-sized light bluish gray, with brighter blue margins to the wings and tail. The wing coverts are bright blue. The bill is short and quite thick. Males and females look-alike.
Length 6.3-7.1 inches and weighs 1.1-1.4 oz.
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: T. episcopus is from central Mexico to northern parts of Bolivia and Brazil and is common throughout much of Costa Rica. Found in semi-open habitats; often found near cultivated areas, especially fruit orchards.
DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivore feeding on insects, spiders, and fruit. Also sometimes eat flowers, leaves, and nectar.
REPRODUCTION: The female incubates 2 pale blue-gray eggs with brown speckles laid in open cup nest that is concealed well by vegetation for 12–14 days. Once eggs hatch, both parents feed young, which fledge in about 17 days.
LIFE SPAN: 10-15 years.
PREDATORS: Birds of prey, snakes, wild and feral cats.
SONG and MAPS: xeno-canto www.xeno-canto.org/species/Thraupis-episcopus?view=3
CONSERVATION: ICUN RED LIST Least Concern
REMARKS: Pairs or groups participate in noisy singing and chattering, though the song is not particularly musical. As fruit-eaters, these birds play an important role in seed dispersal for trees and shrubs in the tropics.
On the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the Blue-grey Tanager is called “Blue Jean.”
References
California Academy of Sciences Rainforest 2017
National Aviary www.aviary.org/animals/blue-grey-tanager
Cornell Lab of Ornithology neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p…
EOL eol.org/pages/1052952/details
Ron’s flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/3151558297/in/set-72157608454346681/
Ron’s WordPress shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-jD
Ron's Critter of the Day 