The Tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropical birds.

Traditionally, the family contained around 240 species of mostly brightly colored fruit-eating birds. As more of these birds were studied using modern molecular techniques, it became apparent that the traditional families were not monophyletic. Euphonia and Chlorophonia, which were once considered part of the tanager family, are now treated as members of the Fringillidae, in their own subfamily (Euphoniinae). Likewise, the genera Piranga (which includes the scarlet tanager, summer tanager, and western tanager), Chlorothraupis, and Habia appear to be members of the family Cardinalidae, and have been reassigned to that family by the American Ornithological Society. My images of these genera are placed in the below gallery and the Cardinalidae family as well.

Tanagers are restricted to the Western Hemisphere and mainly to the tropics. About 60% of tanagers live in South America, and 30% of these species live in the Andes. Most species are endemic to a relatively small area.

The below galleries contain my images of a few dozen or so species of Tanagers I have been fortunate to have seen and documented over the years. These mostly come from Brazil & Ecuador although I have seen various species in several other countries. Please feel to correct any of the ID’s if you note errors or revision updates.