THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
THRAUPIDAE - the Tanager Family
FLOWERPIERCERs
The
Thraupidae are a family of passerine birds found in the Americas. About 60% of tanagers live in South America, and 30% of these species live in the Andes. Most species are endemic to a relatively small area. In addition to "
tanagers",
dacnis,
finches,
flowerpiercers,
honeycreepers,
seedeaters, and many other diversely named species are included in
Thraupidae. The
tangara genus includes some of the most spectacularly colored THE WORLD BIRDS.
Tanagers are omnivorous, and their diets vary from genus to genus. They have been seen eating fruits, seeds, nectar, flower parts, and insects. Many pick insects off branches. Other species look for insects on the undersides of leaves. Yet others wait on branches until they see a flying insect and catch it in the air.
Some birds that are called Tanagers are actually in the Cardinal family
Cardinalidae.
Genus Diglossa
Flowerpiercers use their hooked bills to obtain nectar by ripping apart the base of the flower. Thus, unlike hummingbirds, they do not aid the pollination process.
Diglossa refers to the characteristic forked tongue of this genus, which is used for more effective nectar collection.
Flowerpiercer,_Black Diglossa humeralis Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador 2)
Lip Kee - Ecuador 3)
Dave_Curtis - Columbia


Flowerpiercer,_Black-throated Diglossa brunneiventris Found: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru
Image by: 1)
Dick Daniels - Chinchero, Peru 2)
Nick Athanas - Peru

Flowerpiercer,_Bluish Diglossa caerulescens Found: Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Andres_Cuervo - Venezuela 2)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador

Flowerpiercer,_Chestnut-bellied Diglossa gloriosissima Found: Columbia
Image by: 1)
Alejandro_Tamayo - Columbia 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online-Ciro_Albano - Columbia

Flowerpiercer,_Cinnamon-bellied Diglossa baritula Found: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.
Image by: 1
Pablo_Leautaud - Mexico 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Manuel_Becerril_Gonzale 3)
Francesco_Veronesi - Mexico
1, 2) Female 3) Male


Flowerpiercer,_Deep-blue Diglossa glauca Found: Andes from Columbia to Bolivia
Image by: 1)
José_Loaiza - Ecuador 2)
Chrystopher_Canaday - Ecuador

Flowerpiercer,_Glossy Diglossa lafresnayii Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador 2)
Vince_Smith - Ecuador 3)
Tony_Castro - Ecuador


Flowerpiercer,_Gray-bellied Diglossa carbonaria Found: Bolivia
Image by: 1)
Glen_Bartley Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Ian_Davies
Flowerpiercer,_Greater Diglossa major Found: southeastern Venezuela, adjacent Guyana and adjancent Brazil
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - MARCELO_CAMACHO
Flowerpiercer,_Indigo Diglossa indigotica Found: lower west Andean slopes in Ecuador and Colombia
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador 2)
Francesco_Veronesi - Columbia

Flowerpiercer,_Masked Diglossa cyanea Found: South America
Image by: 1)
Dick Daniels - Guango Lodge, Ecuador
2, 3) Dick - Peguche Waterfall 4)
Andy_Morffew - Ecuador



Flowerpiercer,_Merida Diglossa gloriosa Found: Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jay_McGowan
Flowerpiercer,_Moustached Diglossa mystacalis Found: Bolivia, Peru
Image by: 1)
David_Cook - Peru 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Yamil_Saenz in Ecuador

Flowerpiercer,_Rusty Diglossa sittoides Found: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi 2, 3) Nick Athanas - Columbia, Argentina 4)
Alejandro_Tamayo



Flowerpiercer,_Scaled Diglossa duidae Found: southwest Venezuela and adjacent Brazil
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Robson_Czaban in Brazil
Flowerpiercer,_Slaty Diglossa plumbea Found: Costa Rica, Panama
Image by:
1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Boquette, Panama 4, 5)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica 6)
Jerry Oldenettel - Costa Rica





Flowerpiercer,_Venezuelan Diglossa venezuelensis Found: Venezuela
Image by: 1)
hbw.com 1, 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jay_McGowan, Mikko_Pyhala
1) Female 2) Male

Flowerpiercer,_White-sided Diglossa albilatera Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Columbia 2)
Alejandro_Tamayo 3)
Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador
1, 2) Female 3) Male
1) Shows the flowerpiecer cutting the base of the flower with its bill.

