Stilpnia phillipsi
The Sira Tanager (Stilpnia phillipsi) is a medium-sized songbird, measuring approximately 14 cm (5.5 in) in length and weighing between 18-22 grams. Males are stunningly iridescent, boasting an emerald green body, a brilliant cobalt-blue crown and nape, a contrasting black mask extending from the lores to behind the eye, and a vivid orange-rufous belly. Their wings and tail are black, subtly edged with green. Females present a duller rendition, with a less intense blue on the crown and a pale...
Exclusively found in humid montane cloud forests and upper tropical evergreen forests, primarily between 1,200-2,000 meters (3,900-6,500 feet) elevation.
Omnivorous, its diet consists mainly of small arthropods (insects, spiders) gleaned from foliage and branches, significantly supplemented by a variety of small fruits and berries from canopy trees and shrubs.
The Sira Tanager is a diurnal species, active throughout daylight hours and roosting communally or solitarily in dense canopy foliage at night. Its foraging strategies are predominantly arboreal; it gleans small arthropods from leaves and branches, occasionally hawks flying insects in mid-air, an...
The Sira Tanager is an obligate endemic, confined exclusively to the humid montane cloud forests of the Cordillera Sira in eastern Peru, specifically within the departments of Huánuco and Pasco. Its distribution is highly fragmented, restricted to a few isolated, pristine forest blocks situated a...
Vulnerable
- Its vibrant cobalt-blue crown is thought to be an adaptation for mate attraction in the dimly lit, perpetually misty cloud forest environment. - Despite its brilliant plumage, the Sira Tanager can be surprisingly difficult to spot as it flits rapidly through the dense canopy, often obscured by ...