Many: see text The tanagers (singular /ˈtænədʒər/) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes.

[1] Traditionally, the family contained around 240 species of mostly brightly colored fruit-eating birds.

[2] 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).

The shortest-bodied species, the white-eared conebill, is 9 cm (4 in) long and weighs 6 g (0.2 oz), barely smaller than the short-billed honeycreeper.

The breeding season is March through June in temperate areas and in September through October in South America.

The family Thraupidae was introduced (as the subfamily Thraupinae) in 1847 by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis.

[5][6] The family Thraupidae is a member of an assemblage of over 800 birds known as the New World, nine-primaried oscines.

Nectar-feeders were placed in Coerebidae (honeycreepers), large-billed seed-eaters in Cardinalidae (cardinals and grosbeaks), smaller-billed seed-eaters in Emberizidae (New World finches and sparrows), ground-foraging insect-eaters in Icteridae (blackbirds) and fruit-eaters in Thraupidae.

[1] This classification was known to be problematic as analyses using other morphological characteristics often produced conflicting phylogenies.

[7] Beginning in the last decade of the 20th century, a series of molecular phylogenetic studies led to a complete reorganization of the traditional families.

Thraupidae now includes large-billed seed eaters, thin-billed nectar feeders, and foliage gleaners as well as fruit-eaters.

[8] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 revealed that many of the traditional genera were not monophyletic.

[1] The coal-crested finch is endemic to the grasslands of Brazil and has no close relatives.

They have evolved a variety of foraging techniques, including nectar-feeding (Coereba, Euneornis), seed-eating (Geospiza, Loxigilla, Tiaris), and insect gleaning (Certhidea).

This is a morphologically diverse group that includes seed-eaters (Nesospiza, Sicalis, Catamenia, Haplospiza), arthropod feeders (Conirostrum), a bamboo specialist (Acanthidops), an aphid feeder (Xenodacnis), and boulder field specialists (Idiopsar).

Conirostrum was previously placed in Parulidae, Diglossa was placed in Thraupidae, and the remaining genera were placed in Emberizidae.

Passerellidae – New World sparrows[10] Cardinalidae – cardinals[11][7] Fringillidae – subfamily Euphoniinae Phaenicophilidae – Hispaniolan tanagers[10][12] Mitrospingidae – Mitrospingid tanagers[10] Nesospingidae Spindalidae Calyptophilidae Rhodinocichlidae