The
blue-browed tanager (
Tangara cyanotis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Taxonomy and systematics: The blue-browed tanager was first described as
Calliste cyanotis by Philip Sclater in 1858, on the basis of a specimen sent by M. Verreaux. The generic name
Tangara is from the Tupí word
tangara, meaning dancer. The specific name
cyanotis is from the Ancient Greek words κυανος (
kuanos), meaning dark blue, and ωτις (
otis), meaning eared. Blue-browed tanager is the official common name designated by the International Ornithologists´ Union (IOC).
The blue-browed tanager is one of 27 species in the genus
Tangara. Within the genus, it is placed in a species group with the golden-naped tanager and the metallic-green tanager. While DNA evidence suggests that the golden-naped tanager is not closely related to the other two species in the genus, it is likely that the blue-browed and metallic-green tanagers are sister to each other.
There are two recognized species of the blue-browed tanager. They are differentiated by differences in plumage.
- T. c. lutleyi Hellmayr, 1917: Found from southern Colombia to Ecuador and Peru. It differs from the nominate in having a black back and ear coverts.
- T. c. cyanotis (Sclater, PL, 1858): The nominate subspecies, it is found in Bolivia and southeastern Peru.