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Blue Dacnis - BirdForum Opus

Male of subspecies paraguayensis
Photo © by Luiz
Serrinha do Alambari, Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 2007

Alternative Name: Turquoise Honeycreeper.

Dacnis cayana

Identification

11–12 cm (4¼-4¾ in)
Male

  • Turquoise
  • Black forehead, throat, and back
  • Black wings and tail, edged with turquoise

Female and immature

  • Green upperparts
  • Paler green underparts
  • Green-edged brown wings
  • Blue head
Female of subspecies paraguayensis
Photo © by MKC
Guararema SP, Brazil, June 2008

Distribution

From Honduras through Central and South America to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Female of subspecies callaina
Photo © by NJLarsen
Las Lajas, Chiriqui, Panama, January 2018

Eight subspecies are recognized[1]:

  • D. c. ultramarina:
  • D. c. callaina:
  • D. c. napaea:
  • D. c. baudoana:
  • D. c. coerbicolor:
  • Central Colombia (Cauca and Magdalena valleys)
  • D. c. cayana:
  • D. c. glaucogularis:
  • D. c. paraguayensis:

Habitat

Woodlands, terra firme forests and second growth.

Behaviour

Breeding

They build a bulky cup nest. The 2 white, brown-blotched eggs are incubated by the female.

Diet

The diet consists of insects and fruit.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2016)
  3. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links

Search the Gallery using the scientific name:

Search the Gallery using the common name Blue Dacnis:

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