Cherrie's Tanager
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| Ramphocelus costaricensis Cherrie, 1891 |
The Cherrie's Tanager, Ramphocelus costaricensis, is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is a resident breeder in the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. This bird was formerly known as the Scarlet-rumped Tanager, but was split as a separate species from the Caribbean form, which was itself renamed as Passerini's Tanager Ramphocelus passerinii.
Cherrie's Tanager is very common from sea level to 1200 m altitude, and occurs occasionally up to 1700 m. The preferred habitat is semi-open areas including light second growth, woodland edges, gardens and pasture with bushes. The cup nest is built up to 6 m high in a tree. The normal clutch is two pale blue or grey eggs, marked with black, brown or lilac. This species will sometimes raise two broods in a season.
The adult Cherrie's Tanager is 16 cm long and weighs 31g. The adult male is mainly black except for a scarlet rump, silvery bill and dark red iris. The female has a grey head, olive upperparts, orange rump, brownish wings and tail, and ochre underparts with a broad orange breast band. The female plumage is the one that differs most from Passerini's Tanager. Immatures resemble the adult female, but with a less orange breast.
Cherrie's Tanagers occur in pairs, small groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock, and up to a dozen birds may roost together in dense thickets at night. This species feeds on small fruit, usually swallowed whole, insects and spiders.
The Cherrie's Tanager’s call is a sharp wac. Its song consists of a few clear pleasant notes, delivered in longer phrases than that of its Caribbean relative.
[edit] References
- Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
