Western Chat-Tanager

Overview

The western chat-tanager is a Vulnerable species of passerine bird belonging to the family Calyptophilidae. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The species is monotypic and was previously treated as a subspecies of the eastern chat-tanager.

Identification

• Length of 20 to 21 cm with a weight of 40 to 55 g, possessing a long bill and tail that give it a shape resembling a mockingbird.
• Dark olive-brown head with a blackish crown and a small rusty spot between the eye and bill.
• Upperparts are dark reddish brown, while the throat and underparts are white with a heavy wash of grayish brown on the flanks and lower belly.
• Song is described as a buzzy "wee-chee-chee-chee", accompanied by calls such as "chip-chip" and "tick, tick, tick, tick...".

Habitat

Found throughout Hispaniola's highest mountain ranges, specifically in southwestern Haiti's Massif de la Hotte and Chaîne de la Selle, and the adjacent Sierra de Bahoruco in the southwestern Dominican Republic. It inhabits broadleaf forest and dense brushy areas, especially in ravines and near water, between elevations of 745 and 2,200 m.

Diet

The specific diet and feeding behaviour of the western chat-tanager are not well known but are apparently similar to those of the eastern chat-tanager, which forages on or near the ground, usually in pairs. This related species consumes a diet that is mostly insects and other invertebrates, with a small amount of fruit.

Did you know?

Speciation between the western chat-tanager and its relative is likely to have occurred on two ancient islands that later fused to form present-day Hispaniola. Despite this geological history, only two nests have ever been described for the species.