Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Photo © by HelenB
EcoCentro Danaus, near the Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica.

Ramphocelus passerinii

Identification

Photo © by Ian Hardy
Garden House Observatory, Costa Rica 4 March 2019

16 cm (6¼ in)
Male

• Black 0verall plumage
• Scarlet rump
• Silvery bill
• Dark red iris
  

Female - grey head, olive upperparts becoming brighter and paler on the rump, brownish wings and tail; ochre underparts.

Distribution

Caribbean lowlands from southern Mexico to western Panama.

Taxonomy

This species was formerly known as the Scarlet-rumped Tanager, but was renamed when the distinctive form found on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama was reclassified as a separate species, Cherrie's Tanager R. costaricensis.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• R. passerinii passerinii:

• Atlantic slope of Central America, from southern Mexico (southeastern Veracruz and northeastern Oaxaca) to western Panama (Ngäbe-Buglé)

• R. passerinii costaricensis:

• Pacific slope of southern Costa Rica (Puntarenas) and western Panama

Habitat

Second growth, dense thickets, woodland edges, gardens and pasture with bushes.

Behaviour

Breeding

They construct a cup-shaped nest, which is placed up to 6 m high in a tree. The clutch contains 2 pale blue or grey eggs, with black, brown or lilac markings. There may be a second brood.

Diet

Their diet consists of small fruit, usually swallowed whole, insects and spiders. They forage in pairs, families and groups.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2019)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Scarlet-rumped Tanager. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Scarlet-rumped_Tanager

External Links

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