There’s no denying that all birds are beautiful in their own way, these stunning creatures are like a gift from heaven. But when it comes to the most gorgeous birds in this world, the multicolored tanager is surely worth mentioning. It’s not every day that you can just see such a colorful birdie flying over your head, its beauty is truly exceptional.
This flashy species is a proud member of the family Thraupidae, it’s also known under the scientific name of Chlorophyta nitidissima.
Even when adult multicolored tanagers are only about 5 inches long, you can still easily spot these eye-catching cuties in nature thanks to their outstanding plumage, especially the males with yellow crown, face, mantle, throat; bright green nape and wings and blue rump and breast. They also have chestnut and black ear-coverts and a black patch on the belly – such an incredible combination!
Even though the females are not as bright as the males because of the lack of the yellow mantle and the black patch, they are still equally enchanting. The juveniles often resemble their mothers, only a bit duller. But once they fully grow up, they would be as pretty as a picture.
Let’s admire its beauty:
Just like many other birds, multicolored tanagers hunt insects for a living. They often look for their prey on the underside of leaves or tree limbs while hanging on the petioles of the leaves with their feet. Sometimes when they’re fed up with working too hard to fill their belly, they can just eat ripe fruits instead.
Multicolored tanagers’ favorite habitat is mature forests, they are mostly found in the wet montane forests of the Occidental and Central Cordillera of Colombia. They often live at altitudes of 1300 to 2200 meters, even though some records have shown that these tiny birds are also spotted as low as 900 meters above sea level.
Unfortunately, multicolored tanagers’ life is in danger as about 81% of their habitat has been lost so far, making the species to be listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Please share this post to help save these unique birds.
H/T: One Big Birdcage