Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Brown Tanager
Orchesticus abeillei
Brown Tanager (Orchesticus abeillei) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Brown Tanager (Orchesticus abeillei) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 31.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Orchesticus
- Species abeillei
Quick facts
- Weight
- 31.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Brown Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Brown Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Brown Tanager (Orchesticus abeillei) is a member of the Thraupidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA se Brazil.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 31.5 g, with a wing length of about 8.7 cm and a tail of around 8.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 164,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Brown Tanager?
The Brown Tanager is a small bird that weighs around 31.5 g.
Where does the Brown Tanager live?
The Brown Tanager is found across South America with a range covering SA se Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Brown Tanager belong to?
The Brown Tanager (Orchesticus abeillei) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Brown Tanager eat?
The Brown Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Brown Tanager migrate?
The Brown Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Brown Tanager endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Brown Tanager make?
1 real field recording of the Brown Tanager — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Brown Tanager's range?
The Brown Tanager has a mapped global range of about 164,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds
How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thraupidae
A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.