NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Green-headed Tanager
Tangara seledon (P. L. S. Müller, 1776)
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 green-headed tanager (Tangara seledon) is a brightly colored bird found in the Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina (Misiones only).
As other members of the genus Tangara, it is a small colorful bird, measuring an average of 13.5 centimeters (5.3 in) and a mass of 18g (0.6 oz). The green-headed Tanager has a greenish or bluish head, black on the back, and a contrastingly colored, orange or red rump. Females and juvenile birds have similar, though duller coloration. While essentially a bird of humid forests, it is also common in orchards and parks, where it moves through the canopy, making itself inconspicuous, as its apparently flashy blue-green coloration camouflages it well amongst the foliage.
Wikipedia contributors, Green-headed tanager; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:43:44.853885+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tangara seledon (P. L. S. Müller, 1776)
- Name authority
- (P. L. S. Müller, 1776)
- Common name
- Green-headed 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 seledon (P. L. S. Müller, 1776)
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 |
| Saffron-crowned TanagerTangara xanthocephala (Tschudi, 1844) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spangle-cheeked TanagerTangara dowii (Salvin, 1863) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tanagra seledon P. L. S. Müller, 1776 P. L. S. Müller, 1776 | synonym |
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=563319 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:7BKFG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.