The opal-crowned tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers. It is one of 49 species in the genus Tangara. It is found in the eastern Andes drainages to the western Amazon Basin in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and Peru and a region of northwestern Bolivia; for Brazil in southwestern-western Amazonas state and Acre.
Region
Western Amazon Basin and eastern Andean foothills
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Colombia through eastern Ecuador and Peru into northwestern Bolivia, and in adjacent western–southwestern Amazonas and Acre in Brazil. It inhabits humid evergreen forest, particularly terra firme and the subcanopy to canopy strata. The species also uses forest edges, tall secondary growth, and fruiting trees along rivers. It is most frequently encountered in mixed-species flocks moving through the canopy.
Altitude Range
200–1400 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This striking tanager is best known for its pale, iridescent crown that can glint blue or violet in good light. It forages high in the canopy and often joins mixed-species flocks, helping locate food and avoid predators. By eating small fruits and berries, it acts as an effective seed disperser in Amazonian forests. Its soft, high-pitched calls can be hard to detect above insect noise.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Commonly travels in pairs or small groups and frequently integrates into mixed-species canopy flocks. Nests are typically cup-shaped and placed well above ground in dense foliage. Pairs maintain small foraging ranges and communicate with soft contact calls while moving through the canopy.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are thin, high-pitched chips and brief twitters, often delivered while foraging. The song is a light, tinkling series of notes that can blend into background insect noise. Calls serve primarily for contact within flocks.
Plumage
Glossy turquoise to greenish-blue body with darker wings edged blue; crown shows an opalescent, pale whitish patch that shimmers in different hues depending on light. The face and throat are darker, providing contrast with the bright body. Feathers are sleek and close-fitting, giving a smooth, lustrous appearance.
Diet
Feeds on small fruits and berries, especially in fruiting trees in the canopy. Supplements diet with arthropods such as caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, gleaned from foliage and small branches. Occasionally sallies to snatch flying insects and may probe clusters of leaves for hidden prey.
Preferred Environment
Primarily forages in the subcanopy and canopy of humid forest, often at forest edges or in tall secondary growth. Frequently joins mixed-species flocks, moving rapidly between fruiting trees.
