Blue-and-black Tanager (Tangara vassorii)

Order: Passeriformes Family: Thraupidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern

[blue-and-black_tanager
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Machu-Picchu, Cuzco

blue-and-black_tanager
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Cajamarca, Peru

blue-and-black_tanager
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Eastern Andes, Ecuador

blue-and-black_tanager
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Eastern Andes, Colombia


Identification & Behavior: ~13 cm (5.1 in). The Blue-and-Black Tanager is mostly blue with black wings and tail. The sub-species atrocoerulea has a black mantle and dusky specks on the underparts and wings. It forages in Andean scrub, elfin forest, and forest edges. It is similar to the Golden-naped Tanager but is distinguished by having a different tone of blue, black wings, and black mantle and black specks (in atrocoerulea).

Status: The Blue-and-Black Tanager is uncommon to rare in montane forests of the east and west (Piura and Cajamarca) slopes of the Andes at elevations ranging between 1900-3500 m. It also occurs in Co, Ec, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Tangara Azul y Negra.

Sub-species: Blue-and-black Tanager (Tangara vassorii vassorii), (Boissonneau), 1840.  Andes in Venezuela (Trujillo S to Táchira) and throughout Colombia S to Ecuador and E slope in N Peru (S to Piura and Cajamarca N of R Marañón).
(Tangara vassorii branickii), (Taczanowski), 1882.  E slope of Andes in Peru S of R Marañón (Amazonas and La Libertad).
(Tangara vassorii atrocoerulea), (Tschudi), 1844.  E slope in Peru (S from Huánuco) and Bolivia (S to W Santa Cruz).

Meaning of Name: Tangara: Tupí name, Tangara= dancer, one who turns and skips, originally used for the manakins, but subsequently (Marcgrave 1648) transferred to other bright finch-like birds.
vassorii: In honor, perhaps, of Pierre-Nicolas Vasseur, French anatomical preparator.

See more of the Family Thraupidae   peru aves

Distribution Map
blue-and-black_tanagerVoice


References:

    • Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum.  http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 03/01/2016.