Puerto Rican Tanager
A species of Puerto Rican Tanagers Scientific name : Nesospingus speculiferus Genus : Puerto Rican Tanagers
Puerto Rican Tanager, A species of Puerto Rican Tanagers
Botanical name: Nesospingus speculiferus
Genus: Puerto Rican Tanagers
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Dubi Shapiro
Description
The Puerto Rican tanager (Nesospingus speculiferus) is a small passerine bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. It is the only member of the genus Nesospingus and has historically been placed in the tanager family, but recent studies indicate another placement. The Puerto Rican tanager is known to locals as "llorosa," which means "cryer".
Size
20 cm
Life Expectancy
4 years
Feeding Habits
Puerto Rican Tanager primarily consumes invertebrates, fruits, and small lizards, including other birds' nestlings, spiders, insects, centipedes, and snails. Puerto Rican Tanager forages throughout the day using a variety of techniques and displays unique preferences for certain prey types.
Habitat
Puerto Rican Tanager thrives in subtropical regions, especially within mid to high elevations. Its preferred habitats encompass wet forests, including both subtropical rain forests and lower montane varieties, where it resides in both mature and secondary growth areas. Plantations with native understories, such as pine and mahogany, as well as shade coffee plantations, also provide suitable environments for puerto Rican Tanager. These birds are more frequently observed within forest gaps rather than dense understory, highlighting their affinity for areas with diverse vertical structure.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Behavior
Puerto Rican tanagers are known to roost communally in large bamboo clumps or palms. They are typically the nucleus species in mixed feeding flocks, especially in the winter when neotropical migrants are present in Puerto Rico. During the breeding season, tanagers become very territorial and defend nesting territories. Puerto Rican tanagers are strong flyers, but don't often fly long distances, preferring to make short flights through the canopy or brush.
Distribution Area
The Puerto Rican tanager is restricted to mid- to high-elevation (300–1350 m) montane forests on the island of Puerto Rico. It typically inhabits mature and second growth montane subtropical rain and wet forests, as well as subtropical lower montane forests. Much of the population is concentrated on the eastern and western sides of the central cordillera of Puerto Rico, with populations in El Yunque National Forest and Maricao State Forest. Deforestation has contributed to fragmentation of the population, which once stretched across the entire central cordillera, but is now confined to the preserved areas and higher peaks.
Photo By Dubi Shapiro
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Tanagers Genus
Puerto Rican Tanagers Species
Puerto Rican Tanager