The paradise tanager is a small, brightly colored bird found in northern South America. Here they live in forest and woodland.

They are omnivorous and feed on a range of fruits, nectar, berries and insects.

Each year they form a small cup shaped nest in to which they deposit two eggs. These hatch within twelve days.

At present the paradise tanager is considered common though they continue to decline in number.

Read on to learn more about these beautiful birds.

Appearance

The paradise tanager is colored green on the side of the face, violet blue across throat turning in to a lighter blue on the belly. The rump is red and the rest of the feathers are black.

While this coloration may seem rather bold it actually blends in with the dark woodland background.

Their small beak is colored black and tapers to a point. The legs and feet share this black coloration.

An average paradise tanager will measure 13cm (5in) long and weigh 17g (0.6oz). Males and females are visibly identical making it hard to tell them apart without DNA testing.

Diet

These birds are omnivores. They will seek out a range of insects along with fruits, nectar and berries.

Much of their foraging takes place in the canopy where they will seek out fruit and insects on the undersides of branches.