Red-hooded Tanager

Overview

The red-hooded tanager, Piranga rubriceps, is a medium-sized songbird in the family Cardinalidae, previously classified among the true tanagers. It is a monotypic species native to South America, currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Approximately 17 cm long, weighing between 28 and 42 g.
• Males are mostly yellowish overall with a red hood extending from the head to the breast; females are duller with red that does not extend onto the breast.
• Song consists of thin trills such as 'tititititi' interspersed with sweeter musical phrases like 'tswe, weéteetseet-see', and includes calls like 'spink!' and 'tink!'.

Habitat

Found in the Western, Central, and Eastern Andes of Colombia, and on the eastern slope of the Andes south through Ecuador to Peru's Huánuco Province. It inhabits the interior and edges of humid montane forest, particularly those heavy with mosses and epiphytes, at elevations ranging from 1,700 to 3,000 m depending on the country.

Diet

Forages by hopping through branches and foliage in the mid- to upper storeys of the forest, often in the open. It travels in pairs or small groups and frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks.

Did you know?

A female in breeding condition was noted in Colombia's Western Andes in September, though no other details regarding its breeding phenology have been published.