The blue-browed tanager (''Tangara cyanotis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotrop ...

. It is found in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucia ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The blue-browed tanager was first described as ''Calliste cyanotis'' by

Philip Sclater Philip Lutley Sclater (4 November 1829 – 27 June 1913) was an English lawyer and zoologist. In zoology, he was an expert ornithologist, and identified the main zoogeographic regions of the world. He was Secretary of the Zoological Societ ...

in 1858, on the basis of a specimen sent by M. Verreaux. The generic name '' Tangara'' is from the

Tupí Tupí, also known as ''formatge de tupí'', is a fermented cheese of a certain area of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees made from cows' or sheep's milk. It is a cheese traditionally prepared in the mountainous Pallars region, as well as in the Cerda ...

word ''tangara'', meaning dancer. The specific name ''cyanotis'' is from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

words κυανος (''kuanos''), meaning dark blue, and ωτις (''otis''), meaning eared. Blue-browed tanager is the official

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

designated by the

International Ornithologists' Union The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...

(IOC). The blue-browed tanager is one of 27 species in the genus ''Tangara''. Within the genus, it is placed in a species group with the

golden-naped tanager The golden-naped tanager (''Chalcothraupis ruficervix'') is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in South America from Colombia to Bolivia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and hea ...

and the

metallic-green tanager The metallic-green tanager (''Tangara labradorides'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Taxonomy and systematics Th ...

. While DNA evidence suggests that the golden-naped tanager is not closely related to the other two species in the genus, it is likely that the blue-browed and metallic-green tanagers are

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to each other. There are two recognized species of the blue-browed tanager. They are differentiated by differences in plumage. * ''T. c. lutleyi''

Hellmayr Carl Eduard Hellmayr (29 January 1878 in Vienna, Austria – 24 February 1944 in Orselina, Switzerland) was an Austrian ornithologist. Biography Hellmayr was born in Vienna and studied at the University of Vienna, although he did not complete h ...

, 1917: Found from southern Colombia to

and

. It differs from the nominate in having a black back and ear coverts. * ''T. c. cyanotis'' ( Sclater, PL, 1858): The nominate subspecies, it is found in

and southeastern Peru.

References

blue-browed tanager Birds of the Northern Andes blue-browed tanager blue-browed tanager Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Thraupidae-stub