Magpie Tanager

By Charlie July 30, 2006 No comments yet

Magpie Tanagers Cissopsis leverianus
30 July 2006, Parque do Zizo, Eastern Brazil

 

Magpie Tanagers - clearly named for their pied, ‘magpie-like’ plumages - are found in mobile groups in forest borders and secondary growth or clearings around the Amazon Basin and in south-east Brazil. The eastern subspecies C. l. major (shown here) is larger and has a blacker back than the nominate subspecies found further north.

As Arthur Grosset notes on his excellent website (www.arthurgrosset.com) the Magpie Tanager is conspicuous, noisy (they have a peculiarly squeaky call/song that is very distinctive) and behaves more like a jay than a tanager - calling loudly from the tops of trees and roaming through the forest in noisy bands.

 


magpie tanager

 

magpie tanager

 

magpie tanager

 

magpie tanager

 

magpie tanager

 

 

All photos copyright Charlie Moores

 

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About the Author

Charlie

Charlie

Charlie has birded all over the world for twenty years. He has finally grown-up after years of having way too much fun and is now trying hard to be the writer/conservationist he's always said he wants to be. Blogging with 10,000 Birds is like chatting to hundreds of friends every day and suits him perfectly. Really - do birders get much more fortunate than this?

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