Photo: Guillermo Debandi / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Swallow Tanager
Tersina viridis
Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 29 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Tersina
- Species viridis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 29 g
- Diet
- Fruit-eaters
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Swallow Tanager is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Swallow Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Panama to ne Argentina.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 29 g, with a wing length of about 8.5 cm and a tail of around 5.4 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 8.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Swallow Tanager?
The Swallow Tanager is a small bird that weighs around 29 g.
Where does the Swallow Tanager live?
The Swallow Tanager is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Panama to ne Argentina, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Swallow Tanager belong to?
The Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Swallow Tanager eat?
The Swallow Tanager is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Does the Swallow Tanager migrate?
The Swallow Tanager is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Swallow Tanager endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Swallow Tanager make?
1 real field recording of the Swallow Tanager — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Swallow Tanager's range?
The Swallow Tanager has a mapped global range of about 8.8 million 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.