Warbler Tanager (Tangara cyanocephala)

A Military Tanager (Tangara cyanocephala), or little soldier, is a small and colorful songbird. With a green body, red band around the neck and blue crown on the head, the military tanager has colors that call attention in its habitat. It occurs in a large extension of the Brazilian coast, and throughout the south and southeast region, and in some points in the northeast.

Food

These birds feed mainly on fruits, insects, larvae and flower nectar. It is common to find them in orchards, on small bushes or walking in undergrowth. It is also possible to see them peacefully feeding with other bird species.

reproduction

The military tanager's breeding season is from September to December. The species makes nests from bromeliads and tangles of epiphytes with, on average, three eggs. As is common among birds, the evolutionary strategy of this species is parental care by males and females for their young, in a system of social monogamy.

Diversity

There are three subspecies that differ briefly in size and coloration:

• Tangara cyanocephala cyanocephala, found from Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul, Paraguay and Argentina;
• Tangara cyanocephala coralina, which inhabits Pernambuco and Espírito Santo;
• Tangora cyanocephala cearensis, which lives in the Serra de Baturité, in Ceará.

The Military Tanager inhabits forests and humid floodplains and, fortunately, is not endangered.