Breeding, Husbandry and Management of7anager Species

Abstract

The majority of tanagers are found
from Costa Rica in Central America
through the northern half of South
America into Paraguay. Some species
occur through Argentina (Skutch, 1954;
Dunning, 1982). They inhabit the lower
edge of coastal foothills and 4,000-
7,000 feet elevations into the mountains.
These mainly frugivorous birds
roam through tropical forest tree tops
and edges of forest clearings foraging
for fruits, berries, small insects, and
vegetation (Skutch, 1954). Many tanager
species are brilliantly colored and their
songs are generally short, sharp monosyllable
chirpings. This chirping is especially
evident when they are agitated,
alarmed, or excited. The majority of
tanagers are basically monomorphic,
with the males a shade or more brighter
than the females, making the sexes
indistinguishable in some species.
However, several species display a
striking sexual dimorphism, with the
males brilliantly colored and the
females a drab, subtle-colored plumage.
Tanager species vary in sizes from as
small as 9 em to 26 em in the larger
species (Dunning, 1982). The tanagers
displayed at Woodland Park Zoological
Gardens have been mostly medium to
large species ranging from 12-17 em in
length.