Ruby-crowned Tanager
Tachyphonus coronatus
Medium-sized tanager found in the middle to upper levels of forest edges, light woodlands, plantations, and urban parks; sometimes visits feeding stations. Males are glossy black with a concealed red crown and a white spot on the shoulder. In flight, shows white underwings. Females have a gray-brown head and are otherwise mostly cinnamon colored, paler below than above.
Identification
The ruby-crowned tanager is a small bird, 16 centimeters or 6 inches long, weighing from 26 to 33 grams. Males are shining black with concealed red crests on the front of their head that they rarely raise, usually when excited, and white wingpits that are visible only when flying. Females are light brown, with slight black streaking under the throat and darker wings. Both sexes possess conical bills and black legs and feet.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tachyphonus coronatus
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Tachyphonus
Range and habitat
Ruby-crowned tanagers have a large range, occupying most of southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Ruby-crowned tanagers live in pairs, but can also be seen in slightly larger flocks or alone. They are active, and will quickly move from one fruit tree to another in search of food.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Elliot's Laughingthrush
Trochalopteron elliotii
Gray-brown laughingthrush with pale eyes and a prominent yellow patch on the wings. Can be very tame; a common sight around campsites, rest stops, and tourist attractions throughout much of its range. Garrulous and social, often seen in small to medium-sized flocks. When not scrounging for human-made trash, it forages on the ground and in low undergrowth, sometimes associating with other species in mixed flocks. Adaptable, inhabiting forests, open scrubby areas, and parks.
Black-chinned Babbler
Cyanoderma pyrrhops
Small buffy babbler with a black throat and lores. Social, often occurring in flocks with other species. Forages close to or on the ground in open forest, shrubby edge, and overgrown gardens and orchards. Song is a monotone or slightly ascending series of piping whistles. Calls include a sped-up version of the song and harsh churring.
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