Return of Bird of the Week: Paradise Tanager
Paradise Tanager, Southern Ecuador
The Paradise Tanager can be difficult to see. But it’s worth the effort. It’s a canopy species, rarely coming down from the top of the jungle forest. To see it, you either need to be in a canopy tower and hope the species wanders by, or on a road along a steep slope, so that downslope treetops are at eye level. This photo is an example of the latter. Not only is it a canopy-dweller; it’s as hyperactive as a North American Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It makes the species a real challenge to see, let alone photograph.
The coloration almost looks artificial. Green, red, blue and black (with yellow as well in several subspecies), it the quintessential multi-colored tanager. Birders seeing it tor the first time generally gasp.
Paradise Tanager, Amazon Basin, Ecuador
This is a canopy tower shot, taken with WC’s Olympus E-1, from the Ecuadoran Amazon basin.
Paradise Tanagers glean fruits and insects in the upper canopy of trees, and tend to nest in the outer edge of the tree canopy. The Paradise Tanager is highly gregarious. It usually is found in groups of 5-10 individuals (rarely up to 20 individuals), and they sometimes appear in multi-species foraging groups. The species frequently associates with Green-and-gold Tanagers and honeycreepers.
Like most canopy species, the Paradise Tanager is poorly studied. But its very broad range makes it unlikely it will be seriously disturbed by human activity. The population size is unknown, so there’s no data to determine if populations are declining. WC certainly hopes not, because this is a signature species of the Neotropical jungle, and a birder’s delight. Besides, WC needs better images.
For more bird photographs, please visit Frozen Feather Images.