NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Saffron-crowned Tanager
Tangara xanthocephala (Tschudi, 1844)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The saffron-crowned tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. Found in the northern Andes of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, it inhabits cloud forest, forest edges, and secondary forest, preferring areas with mossy trees. It is an average-sized species of tanager with a blue-green body and yellow head with a black forecrown, lores, orbital area, and chin.
It forages in pairs or small groups of 3–7 individuals that are part of mixed-species flocks. It is the most frugivorous species in the genus Tangara, although it also feeds on insects. It forms breeding pairs and is thought to be socially monogamous. The only known nest contained a clutch of two eggs. It is listed as being a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List, but may be threatened by habitat destruction.
Wikipedia contributors, Saffron-crowned tanager; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:58:29.705085+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tangara xanthocephala (Tschudi, 1844)
- Name authority
- (Tschudi, 1844)
- Common name
- Saffron-crowned Tanager
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Tangara
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyThraupidae
- genusTangara Brisson, 1760
- speciesTangara xanthocephala (Tschudi, 1844)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tangara. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Paradise TanagerTangara chilensis (Vigors, 1832) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-eared TanagerTangara chrysotis (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1846) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gilt-edged TanagerTangara cyanoventris (Vieillot, 1819) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brassy-breasted TanagerTangara desmaresti (Vieillot, 1819) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Green-naped TanagerTangara fucosa Nelson, 1912 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bay-headed TanagerTangara gyrola (Linnaeus, 1758) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Silver-throated TanagerTangara icterocephala (Bonaparte, 1851) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Beryl-spangled TanagerTangara nigroviridis (Lafresnaye, 1843) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Flame-faced TanagerTangara parzudakii (Lafresnaye, 1843) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-cheeked TanagerTangara rufigenis (P. L. Sclater, 1857) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Green-headed TanagerTangara seledon (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spangle-cheeked TanagerTangara dowii (Salvin, 1863) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=563325 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:54P6G. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.