A petite and stunningly colorful bird that enjoys dwelling in the lush canopies of damp forests.
The lush Atlantic woodland is often home to the beautifully vibrant green-headed tanager (Tangara seledon). Even though its brightly colored plumage may seem to stand out, it surprisingly serves as a camouflage among the dense vegetation. The male bird boasts an intricate and striking appearance, with aquamarine-green covering its head, nape, and cheeks, and a yellow-green band stretching across its nape and upper mantle. Its back and scapulars are black, while the rump is a warm orangish-yellow and the upper-tail covers are a vivid apricot-green.
The female bird bears a resemblance to the male bird, but its appearance is not as strikingly impressive. Furthermore, it has been observed that juvenile birds tend to vibrate less than their adult counterparts. This unique characteristic is commonly found in various regions including northeastern Armenia, parts of northeastern Paraguay, and southeast Brazil.
The Green-Headed Tanager has a diverse diet that mainly consists of fruits and other small animals like insects. They can feed on both wild and cultivated berries from bromeliads, as well as other food sources. These birds usually forage in pairs or small groups of up to 20 individuals and may sometimes mingle with other species. When it comes to its movements, the Green-Headed Tanager is quite active, displaying crooked motions while hopping around branches, gleaning from leaf litter and bark, and using its bill to manipulate fruits.
During mating season, the Green-headed Tanager, a monogamous bird species, builds a small yet cozy nest made of grass and leaves, lining it with soft materials. Both parents actively participate in constructing the nest, laying eggs and incubation. Sometimes, the male woos the female during courtship. The incubation period lasts for approximately two weeks, and the female lays a set of 2 to 3 pale eggs. After about 14 to 18 days from hatching, the young venture out of the nest but depend on their parents for sustenance for several weeks. The birds often try for a second brood, and adult birds may be accompanied by young from previous broods for many months throughout the first year.
The Green-Headed Tanager is currently not endangered, despite its disappearance from certain areas that have been recently deforested and its absence from the remaining wooded regions in southern Brazil. Although these events are rare, populations of this bird species are often limited to areas that are safeguarded and protected.
