Puerto Rican tanager
| Puerto Rican tanager | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nesospingus speculiferus & Mecocerculus calopterus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | Nesospingus P.L. Sclater, 1885 |
| Species: | N. speculiferus |
| Binomial name | |
| Nesospingus speculiferus (Lawrence, 1875) | |
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 Nesospingus It has historically been placed in the tanager family, but recent studies indicate another placement.
On average the Puerto Rican tanager measures 16 cm and weighs 36 g. These birds are found in groups of about 12 individuals. They are usually found in dense vegetation. This tanager roosts in palm trees or bamboo. The Puerto Rican tanager eats palm fruits, ants and species from the Cecropia genus. Evidence shows that they also eat spiders, lizards and frogs. Its cup-shaped nest is no higher than 9 m in trees. Cream colored eggs speckled with a darker shade of brown. The species breeds from January to August.
See also
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican birds
- List of Vieques birds
- El Toro Wilderness
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Nesospingus speculiferus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
| Bird Call | |
 Puerto Rican tanager vocals with coqui in background |