Scarlet-throated Tanager

Overview

The scarlet-throated tanager (Compsothraupis loricata) is a large tanager in the family Thraupidae that is endemic to eastern Brazil. It is the sole member of the genus Compsothraupis and is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, though its remaining habitat is fragmented.

Identification

• Adult males are almost entirely glossy blue-black with a distinct scarlet throat and the center of the breast, while adult females are entirely black.
• The bird is 20 to 21 cm long and resembles a blackbird in general appearance.
• Both sexes possess a stout black bill, a dark brown iris, and dusky gray legs and feet.
• Vocalisations include a group call of harsh tchaw notes and a loud, icterid-like chirt or kyuh; the dawn song is a more ringing, penetrating kyeh repeated at one-second intervals.

Habitat

This species is found in eastern Brazil, primarily within the Caatinga, a dry, semi-open biome where it favours gallery forests and areas near marshes and lagoons. Its range spans from near sea level up to 700 m in elevation, extending from Maranhão in the north to Bahia and Goiás in the south.

Diet

Although its diet has not been extensively studied, it is known to be mostly insectivorous. The bird typically forages in small flocks of six to eight individuals and sometimes associates with blackbirds, often perching on high, exposed branches for long periods.

Did you know?

During courtship displays, male tanagers fluff their back feathers to expose the white bases that are otherwise hidden by their blue-black plumage.