Masked Crimson Tanager

Overview

The masked crimson tanager (Ramphocelus nigrogularis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, native to the western and central Amazon Basin. It is a year-round resident found across parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil, with possibly unconfirmed records in Bolivia.

Identification

• Approximately 17 cm long with a heavy bill featuring a wide base to the mandible, a black maxilla, and a white mandible with a black tip.
• Adult males display a shiny red head, neck, and body, contrasted by a black mask extending from the forehead and throat past the eye, as well as jet-black wings, tail, and central breast.
• Females resemble males but are duller, with a dusky breast and belly patch instead of black.
• Song is described as a deliberate series of simple notes such as "chup whip weehur", accompanied by high, squeaky tips and metallic tinks.

Habitat

Found in the western and central Amazon Basin, ranging from the Bogotá area in Colombia southeast to the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru, extending into Brazil south of the Amazon. It inhabits várzea forest, brushy areas, and secondary forest near oxbow lakes and rivers, typically at elevations up to 600 m, though locally reaching 1,100 m in Peru.

Diet

Feeds on arthropods and fruits, typically foraging in groups of up to 12 individuals that include adults and young. It usually forages up to the forest's mid-level but may reach up to 25 m or more, taking most arthropods from foliage and occasionally joining mixed-species flocks.

Did you know?

Foraging groups are described as "ebullient [and] flashy...enlivening the scene wherever they go", and there is some evidence of cooperative breeding within the species.