One of the 2 tanagers on WAnimals
Birds · Passeriformes · Thraupidae
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
Passerini's tanager or scarlet-rumped tanager is a very familiar bird on the Caribbean slope of Central America: the male is velvety black with an intensely scarlet rump, and the female is brown with an orange breast. It frequents forest edges, coffee plantations and gardens, and is one of the most photographed birds at the fruit feeders of Costa Rica.
Weight
28 g – 35 g
Size
16 cm – 18 cm
Lifespan
10 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- Male and female are so different that it is hard to believe they are the same species: he is black with a scarlet rump, she brown and orange with no trace of red.
- It was split from Cherrie's tanager of the Pacific slope as a species of its own in the 1990s: the two meet in a narrow strip of Costa Rica where they hybridise.
- It is one of the commonest birds at the fruit feeders of Costa Rican reserves, and its confiding nature has made it one of the species visitors photograph most.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Rainforest edges, secondary forest, plantations and gardens of the Central American Caribbean
- Birth weight
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Size at birth
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 12 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramphocelus_passerinii
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round on the Caribbean slope of Central America, by day; it is abundant along forest edges and in plantations and gardens with fruit trees.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 14 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Scarlet-rumped Tanager — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Paradise Tanager
Tangara chilensis
Least ConcernScarlet Macaw
Ara macao
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Crested Guan
Penelope purpurascens
Collared Trogon
Trogon collaris
Keep exploring
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