Appearance
Adult white-lined tanagers are 18.5 cm long and weigh 33 g. They are long-tailed and with a mostly black stout pointed bill. The adult male is glossy black, apart from white underwing coverts and a small white patch on the upperwing. These white areas are conspicuous in flight but otherwise rarely visible. Females and immatures are entirely rufous in plumage, somewhat paler below.
Naming
Local names in Trinidad and Tobago include 'Parson' , and 'Singing Angel'; on these islands, the species is highly valued for its whistling ability.
Behavior
They appear to be territorial, as only one nesting pair is usually seen in an area. They rarely join mixed feeding flocks.The white-lined tanager's song is a fast repetitive ''cheeru''.
Reproduction
In the breeding season, the male displays the white spots which he has under his wings, opening them and closing them before in front of the female. The bulky cup nest is built in a tree or shrub, and the female incubates three, sometimes two, brown-blotched cream eggs for 14–15 days. This species has, on average, two broods per season.Food
These are restless but unwary birds which eat a wide variety of fruit, but especially epiphytes. They also take some nectar and insects, including beetles, ants and grasshoppers.References:
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