Crimson-collared Tanager

Overview

The crimson-collared tanager (Ramphocelus sanguinolentus) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is a year-round resident found from Mexico to Panama, with an estimated population of at least 500,000 mature individuals.

Identification

• Length 15 to 20 cm and weight 35 to 48 g, with a silvery white to pale grayish blue bill and blue-gray to black legs.
• Adults possess a glossy blood-red or crimson hood surrounding a black face and throat, extending to the neck and breast, with a mostly black body showing a faint bluish gloss.
• Rump, uppertail coverts, and undertail coverts are blood-red or crimson, while underwing coverts are vermillion red.
• Song consists of a leisurely sequence of rising and falling whistled notes separated by pauses, or a high, squeaky to slightly sweet, jerky series.

Habitat

The species primarily inhabits the edges of evergreen and secondary forest in tropical and lower subtropical zones, as well as abandoned plantations and pastures with trees. Its range extends from Veracruz and northern Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico south through northern Central America to central Panama's Panamá Province.

Diet

The diet includes both arthropods and fruits, typically foraged in tall shrubs and the lower parts of trees between 2 and 10 m above the ground. The bird takes insect prey from thick foliage and usually forages singly or in pairs, seldom joining mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

The specific epithet sanguinolentus is derived from the Latin sanguis, which means blood, reflecting the bird's crimson plumage.