One of the 2 tanagers on WAnimals

Birds · Passeriformes · Thraupidae

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Ramphocelus passerinii

Least Concern

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

9countries14parks7same family

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

Best 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.

Loading map…

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.

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about scarlet-rumped tanager.

Comments

Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the scarlet-rumped tanager.

Be the first to comment.