Magpie Tanager is large and unmistakable with its long black-and-white tail, yellow iris and blue-black hood, and lives around the Amazon basin and in southeastern Brazil.

 

The Magpie Tanagers (Cissopis leveriana) averages 26 to 29 cm in length and weighs 69-76 g. They are very noisy.

Distribution and Habitat:

They can be found in the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; as well as in Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia at elevations between 1200-2000 m.

They are seen in river floodplains and forest edges among grass and shrubs but also occur in plantations near human settlements.

Diet:

Magpie Tanager is a tanager that eats seed fruits and insects.

Breeding:

Cup nest lined with grass, leaves, or other plant materials. Located near the ground on short trees or in shrubs in dense vegetation.

Clutch size 2 eggs red/brown with brown spots. Captive birds incubate eggs for 12 to 13 days.