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Swallow-tanager
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An illustration of a swallow-tanager (Tersina viridis), a bright blue bird with a black mask and wings, perched on a branch with red flowers and green leaves. passerine bills
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An illustration of a swallow-tanager (Tersina viridis), a bright blue bird with a black mask and wings, perched on a branch with red flowers and green leaves.
Swallow-tanager (Tersina viridis)

Swallow-tanager

bird
Also known as: Tersina viridis
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Swallow-tanager, (Tersina viridis), bird of northern South America, the sole member of the subfamily Tersininae, family Emberizidae; some authors give it family rank (Tersinidae). About 15 cm (6 inches) long, it resembles a tanager with long wings and a swallowlike bill. The male is light blue, with black markings; the female is mostly green. Swallow-tanagers catch insects on the wing and also eat large fruits, ejecting the seeds and filling their throat pouches with the pulp. They breed in tree holes, sandbanks, and wall crevices.