Masked crimson tanager facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Masked crimson tanager |
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Ramphocelus
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| Species: |
nigrogularis
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The masked crimson tanager (Ramphocelus nigrogularis) is a colorful bird. It belongs to the Thraupidae family, which includes many types of tanagers. You can find this bird in parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It loves to live in warm, wet places like tropical swamps and moist shrubland.
A German scientist named Johann Baptist von Spix first described this bird in 1825. Its scientific name, nigrogularis, comes from two Latin words. Niger means "black," and gularis means "throated." So, its name means "black-throated." This bird is one of nine bright tanager species in the Ramphocelus group. Its closest relative is the crimson-backed tanager. They separated from each other about 800,000 years ago.
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What Does the Masked Crimson Tanager Look Like?
This bird is about 18 to 19 centimeters (7 to 7.5 inches) long. That's about the length of a pencil. The adult male is very striking. It has a black face, wings, back, belly, and tail. The rest of its feathers are a bright, fiery red. Its beak also has a cool silver shine.
The female looks a lot like the male. However, her belly is more brownish. Her red feathers are also not as bright. Young birds are even duller in color than the females. The masked crimson tanager looks a bit like the vermilion tanager. But the vermilion tanager lives in higher, cooler places.
Sounds and Calls
The masked crimson tanager makes a high-pitched sound. People describe it as "tchlink" or "tink." It also sings a simple song, often at sunrise.
Where Do Masked Crimson Tanagers Live?
These birds are common across the Amazon region. They like to stay near water, such as lakes, swamps, or rivers. You usually find them at low elevations, below 600 meters (2,000 feet).
Masked crimson tanagers often travel in groups. These groups usually have 10 to 12 birds. They sometimes join other bird species in mixed flocks. One bird they often flock with is the silver-beaked tanager.
What Do Masked Crimson Tanagers Eat?
Like most tanagers, these birds mainly eat fruit. This means they are frugivorous. They also add small insects to their diet. One of their favorite insect snacks is flying termites. These termites are full of nutrients, especially when they are ready to breed. Eating them helps the tanagers get extra energy.
Masked crimson tanagers also drink nectar from flowers. They don't open the flowers themselves. Instead, they drink from flowers that other birds or insects have already opened. For example, they feed on nectar from Erythrina fusca plants. When they do this, their heads touch the flower's pollen. This helps the plants spread their pollen, making the tanagers good pollinators.
Reproduction and Family Life
Masked crimson tanagers breed between the dry and wet seasons. This happens in the tropical areas where they live. These birds are known for cooperative breeding. This means that many birds in the group help care for and protect the young.
Cooperative breeding might be helpful for these birds. There are often many birds in their area. Also, good places to live near lakes can be hard to find. So, working together helps them raise their babies successfully.
In the forests where they live, masked crimson tanagers often join mixed groups of birds. These groups can include birds like flycatchers and vireos. The more broad-leafed trees there are in the forest, the more likely these birds are to form mixed flocks.
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