Huallaga Tanager

Overview

The Huallaga tanager (Ramphocelus melanogaster), also known as the black-bellied tanager, is a bird in the family Thraupidae. It is an endemic species found only in Peru.

Identification

• Males feature a dark red or reddish-brown head, breast, and upper back, contrasting with a black back, wings, tail, and central belly.
• Females resemble males but are duller and lack black plumage, displaying reddish-brown upperparts and cinnamon-red underparts.
• The species is 16 to 18 cm long with a heavy bill that has a wide base, and possesses reddish-brown eyes, dusky gray legs, and a song of moderately high-pitched 'Chew-ee-chew' notes.

Habitat

Restricted to the valleys of the Mayo and Huallaga rivers in the San Martín and Huánuco departments of north-central Peru, this species ranges in elevation from 500 to 1,800 m. It primarily inhabits secondary forest, with smaller numbers found on the edges of lowland evergreen forest, riverine forest, and scrublands.

Did you know?

The Huallaga tanager's voice is probably indistinguishable from that of the silver-beaked tanager.