Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus

Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California, taken in the coastal region of Costa Rica, February 2016.

The Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus, is a member of the Thraupidae Family of Tanagers and Allies. They are small in stature. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within both the Atlantic and Pacific Slopes in the States of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatán at elevations below 2,600 m (8,500 feet). From a conservation perspective the Blue-gray Tanager is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in semi-open areas adjacent to the forest edge along roads and rivers. They consume insects, flowers, leaves, nectar, and seasonal berries, fruits and seeds when available.