Flame-colored Tanager

Overview

The flame-colored tanager (Piranga bidentata), formerly known as the stripe-backed tanager, is a medium-sized American songbird in the family Cardinalidae. It is found from Mexico throughout Central America to northern Panama, with occasional sightings in the United States.

Identification

• Males are predominantly red-orange, while females are more yellowish orange.
• The species measures 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) in length.
• The nominate male has a brown patch below the eye, whereas the female has black streaks on her olive back.
• The song is similar to a vireo's, described as 'chewee-very-vire', and the call is a 'per-dick' or 'chi-dick'.

Habitat

Found principally in the canopy of humid montane forest and large trees in non-forested areas such as pastures, coffee plantations, and gardens. It inhabits open oak and pine-oak woodlands across much of its range and is generally a mountain bird, though it can be found near sea level in Guatemala.

Diet

The diet consists of small arthropods and a variety of berries. It forages alone, in pairs, or in mixed-species flocks, usually hunting through the tops of trees but also sallying out for flying insects or descending to the ground to glean fruit.

Did you know?

The flame-colored tanager has been reported ambushing swarms of army ants (Eciton burchellii) that are carrying wasp larvae and pupae, eating both the ants and the wasps.