Inti tanager

The Inti tanager belongs to Thraupidae family. The bird is restricted to southern Peru, Yungas of western Bolivia. It is known for its striking colour and evolutionary distinctiveness. The bird was first discovered in 1993. However, it was completely described for the first time in November 2021.

About Inti tanager

• The bird is closely related to black-goggled tanager. They are sister species. The grey-headed tanager is another sister species of Inti tanager.
• The Inti tanager is named after Incan sun god, Inti. The name Inti comes from the Quechua language. The language is indigenous to the region. It has been named after the sun mainly because of its bright yellow colour.
• They are fruit eating birds.
• They display wide range of colours patterns, behaviours, foraging, vocalisation, habitat preferences and ecotypes.
• It is an intra-tropical migrant.
• They breed during November to March. And migrate to the lower slopes of Andes during summer.

Behaviour

It has a loud distinctive song. The bird is hard to identify. They breed in semi-deciduous forest. They are dependent on bamboo like grasses.

History

The bird was first discovered in 1993. However, a better description was made in 2000. In 2011, the breeding population of the bird was discovered.