Inti tanager is a member of the Thraupidae family. It is genus Heliothraupis?s only member. Confined to the lower part of Yungas in southern Peru and western Bolivia. Despite its striking color, reputation, and evolutionary peculiarities, it was not described until the year 2021, and birds were not discovered and documented for Western science until the last 20 years.
Highlights
Birds are closely related to the black-goggled tuna and are sister species. Grey-headed tanager is also another species similar to the Inti tanager. Inti tanager is Inti, the Inca sun god. The name Inti comes from Quechua as the language is indigenous to this region. It is named after the sun mainly because of its bright yellow color and are fruit-eating birds. They exhibit different behaviours, color patterns, vocalizations, feeding, ecotypes and habitat preferences. These are temperate migrants. They breed from the months of November to March. In summer, they migrate to the lower slopes region of the Andes.
This species has a unique and loud song made by both males and females. The song usually begins late in the morning, long after chorus of most other birds ends, and continues into the heat of the day most other birds stop calling. Despite its distinctive appearance and reputation, this species is considered very elusive. Therefore, it has only been discovered by some studies up to the last few years.
The bird was first discovered in the year 1993. But in the year 2000, a better explanation was given. In the year 2011, a breeding population of these birds was discovered.
Habitat of Inti tanager
This species breeds in semi-deciduous forests and may rely on bamboo, such as Guadua, and grass, such as bamboo, for optimal reproductive conditions. Its non-breeding range is thought to inhabit the transition between rainforests and cloud forests, and is also found in bamboo spots in Guadua.
Conservation of Inti tanager
Although less well known, this species’ habitat is currently not considered a serious endangered species as it is largely unimpeded by human activity and most of its habitat is inaccessible to humans. However, China’s potential plan to build a road between la Paz and Cuzco could bring large numbers of colonists and lead to deforestation of breeding habitats. However, due to the lack of information on population size, trends and distribution, it was recommended to classify this species as data deficient.
