The spotted-tanager Tangara punctata is a predominantly frugivorous passerine, although often gleans for arthropods. In the Tropical Andes of Bolivia, this species joins canopy and mid-story mixed-species flocks composed mostly of other species of the genus Tangara such as the saffron-crowned tanager (Tangara xanthocephala), the golden tanager (Tangara arthus) and golden-ear tanager (Tangara chrysotis) among many others. In the Yungas of La Paz, flocks that include spotted-tanagers are often led by groups of saffron-crowned tanagers or white-winged tanager (Piranga leucoptera). These canopy flocks are closely followed by mid-story and understory flocking species, constituting a module within larger bird aggregations. In her study, Montaño-Centellas examines how the structure of mixed-species flocks changes across elevations in a landscape free of human intervention of the Bolivian Andes. Photo by Miguel Angel Montenegro. Full paper here.

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