Blue-backed Tanager

About the Blue-backed Tanager

The blue-backed tanager (Cyanicterus cyanicterus)is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The blue-backed tanager was formally described in 1819 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot with the binomial Pyranga cyanicterus. The type locality is Cayenne in French Guiana. This species is now the only member of the genus Cyanicterus that was introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850. The word cyanicterus is formed from the Ancient Greek kuanos meaning "dark-blue" and ikteros meaning "jaundice-yellow". The blue-backed tanager is monotypic: No subspecies are recognized.

The blue-backed tanager is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighs 33 to 36 g (1.2 to 1.3 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males have black lores on an otherwise bright blue head. Their neck, upperparts, upperwing coverts, and tail are also bright blue. Their wing's flight feathers are dusky with bright cobalt-blue edges. Their throat and upper breast are violet-blue and the rest of their underparts golden-yellow with dark blue thigh feathers. Adult... Wikipedia →