ABSTRACT
The tanagers and other nine-primaried oscines form a diverse and taxonomically complex group of songbirds. Historically, bill shape was often used as a character to assume genetic relationships, but it is now clear that this is a highly plastic and derived characteristic that, in many cases, misleads taxonomic assignments. The classic tanager is brightly colored, although a few are drab and, given these new taxonomic realities, are almost exclusive to Central and South America. In terra firme forests of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP), they are either canopy species or found in second growth-none exclusively occupy dense forest understories. Just as this is a family that is diverse in its use of habitat, food resources, and dispersal and migratory capacity, molt strategies can vary considerably and include Complex Basic and Complex Alternate Strategies.
