ANIMAL:Blue-Necked Tanager Stilpnia cyanicollis
Type of Animal:
Songbird
Habitat:
Forests (closed, semiopen, & open), forest edges, gardens, semiopen areas, open parks w/ lots of trees/brush, dry savanna, plantations, former forest, tropical/subtropical moist shrubland, tropical/subtropical dry shrubland, tropical/subtropical high altitude shrubland, tropical scrubland, second growth areas, found from sea level to 8,000 ft
Location(s):
W Venezuela, W & NC Colombia, Ecuador, C Peru, CW & extreme EC Bolivia, C Brazil
Appearance:
Blue hood/throat, wing coverts/wing edges/rump turquoise to greenish straw color, multicolored wings, posterior lower areas black, violet, or blue, beak/legs/feet black, juveniles brownish gray, males have somewhat brighter wing bars
Food/Diet:
Fruit, berries, flower blossoms, insects, flower buds, Cecropia catkins, vegetables, seeds
Status in Wild:
Stable
Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & aviculture
Lifestyle:
Flocks of 2-8 birds
Additional Info:Called:
Male: Cock
Female: Hen
Young: Chick
Group: Flock
Weight:
0.6 oz
Gestation:
15 daysLife Span:
7-8 years in wild, 12-15 years in captivity
Height:
4.72 in
Body Length:
4.72 in
Tail Length:
1 in
Main predators are snakes, carnivorous/omnivorous mammals, & predatory birds.
Females build well-concealed mossy cup nests & usually lay 2 white brown spotted eggs in it.
Rather noisy birds when foraging.
Utter complaining moderate-pitched che & high-pitched seet. Notes sometimes given singly or che repeated in rapid series sometimes ending w/ louder chep/seep.
Chicks fledge at 15 days & become independent at around 3 weeks but may stay around for longer.
Sometimes seen flocking w/ other bird species.
Play important role in seed dispersal due to diet.
Female incubates while male brings her food. Both parents take care of chicks.
Sometimes seen at feeders.
Active during the day (diurnal).
Fun Fact(s):
They’re very acrobatic, catching insects from leaves or in flight, & hanging upside down from branches to peck at Cecropia fruits/catkins.
Sometimes kept as cagebirds.
Sometimes other flock members assist w/ care of chicks.
