Zoological Illustrations Series II/Plate 28
Red headed Tanager.
T. Gyrola.
AGLAÏA Gyrola.
Red-headed Tanager.
Family Fringillidæ?—G. Tanagra. Auct.
Aglaïa. Lesson. Man. 2, 423.
Bill small, short, compressed; nostrils concealed by velvet-like feathers. Wings rather lengthened, pointed; 2, 3 and 4 quills equal and longest. Tail even.
Type.—Tanagra Tatao.—Lin.
Specific Character.
Vivid green, sometimes varied on the breast with blue: the whole head bright rufous, bordered round the neck with a narrow golden ring.
Tanagra Gyrola. Lin. 1, 315. Lath. In. Orn. 1, 427.
—— Desmarest Tan. pl. 15. Vieil. Orn. 2, p. 778.
Le Rouverdin. Buff. Son. 12, p. 341. Pl. Enl. 133, f. 2. Edw. pl. 23.
Red-headed Tanager. Lath. Syn. 3, 233. Gen. Hist. 6, 16.
The splendid little birds arranged under this group belong exclusively to Tropical America. They are generally seen in pairs, frequenting open woody tracts; feed principally upon fruits, and seldom if ever perch upon the ground: In the variety, and richness of their colours, they are only surpassed by the Humming Birds.
The Red-headed Tanager has never, we believe, been found in Brazil; although it occurs in Cayenne, Surinam, and some of the West India Islands. Buffon was its first describer; he informs us that in French Guyana it appears in small flocks, two or three times in a year; arriving when the fruit of a particular tree is ripe, and departing when it begins to fail. Some specimens are more brilliant than others, originating probably from age or locality: those from Cayenne are known by a delicate blue tinge on the breast. A further variety has been described (Ency. Meth.), in which the upper part of the neck is also red, and the back marked by a large spot of dull rufous (brun-marron). We suspect this will prove a distinct species. The rank of this group, whether as generic or subgeneric, can only be determined by analyzing the whole family.