Golden tanager
Species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The golden tanager (Tangara arthus) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is widespread and often common in highland forests of the Andes (from Bolivia and northwards) and Venezuelan Coastal Range in north-western South America.
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| Golden tanager | |
|---|---|
| |
| T. a. goodsoni, Ecuador | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thraupidae |
| Genus: | Tangara |
| Species: | T. arthus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tangara arthus Lesson, R, 1832 | |
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| Range of the nominate subspecies | |
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| Range of the other subspecies | |
Its plumage is overall golden-yellow with black to the back, wings, tail and ear-coverts. Some subspecies are partially/largely brown below.
Taxonomy and systematics
The golden tanager was first described as Tangara Arthus by René Lesson in 1840 on the basis of a specimen from Caracas, Venezuela.[2][3] The generic name Tangara comes from the Tupí word tangara, meaning dancer. The specific name arthus is in honor of Arthus Bertrand, a French bookseller.[4] Golden tanager is the official common name designated by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).[5] Other names for the species include "chestnut-breasted tanager".[6]
The golden tanager is one of 27 species in the genus Tangara. Within the genus, it is part of a species group with the blue-whiskered tanager, green-and-gold tanager, emerald tanager, silver-throated tanager, saffron-crowned tanager, golden-eared tanager, and flame-faced tanager. In the group, it is sister to a clade formed by the emerald and silver-throated tanagers. This placement is supported by mitochondrial DNA evidence.[7] The following cladogram shows phylogenetic relationships within the species group based on the above study:[8]
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Subspecies
There are nine recognized subspecies of the golden tanager.[5] The subspecies are differentiated by differences in their appearance and their distribution.[7] All the subspecies excluding arthus are sometimes separated into a distinct species, Tangara aurulenta, on the basis of differences in plumage.[9]
- T. a. arthus (Lesson, 1832): The nominate subspecies. It is found in the mountains of northern and western Venezuela.[7]
- T. a. palmitae (Meyer de Schauensee, 1947): It is found on the western slope of the Andes in La Palmita, Santander, Colombia.[7]
- T. a. sclateri (Lafresnaye, 1854): It is found in the Andes of eastern Colombia, and likely also in those of southern Táchira, Venezuela.[7]
- T. a. aurulenta (Lafresnaye, 1843): It is found in Serranía del Perijá, Venezuela, and the western slope of the Andes in eastern Colombia.[7]
- T. a. occidentalis Chapman, 1914: It is found on the western slope of the Andes in central Colombia and on both slopes in western Colombia.[7]
- T. a. goodsoni Hartert, 1913: It is found on the western slope of the Andes in Ecuador, and likely also in northwestern Peru.[7]
- T. a. aequatorialis (Taczanowski & Berlepsch, 1885): It is found on the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador and adjoining areas in northern Peru.[7]
- T. a. pulchra (Tschudi, 1844): It is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from Amazonas to Junín in Peru.[7]
- T. a. sophiae (Berlepsch, 1901): It is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from southeastern Peru to La Paz and Cochabamba in Bolivia.[7]
Distribution and habitat
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The golden tanager is found in the Venezuelan Coastal Range in Venezuela and in the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia at elevations of 700–2,500 m (2,300–8,200 ft), but is most common at elevations of 1,000–1,500 m (3,300–4,900 ft). It inhabits humid montane evergreen forest, as well as forest edges and nearby secondary growth.[7]
Status
The nominate subspecies of the golden tanager is listed as being a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List because of its large range, relative commonness, and lack of a sufficiently rapid decline in population.[10] The other subspecies, which are considered to be a distinct species by the IUCN, are also listed as being of least concern for the above reasons.[11] However, the population of the golden tanager is decreasing, and it is threatened by habitat destruction.[10][11]
