Fiery Red Feathers, Black Wings And Tail, And A Shining Beak Make The Crimson-Backed Tanager's Appearance Spectacular

A unique tanager bird, wearing its burning red feathers is sure to catch your gaze and earn your admiration.

Filip

• Published in Animal Stories
• February 26, 2022

If there is one melody that no one will ever get bored of, it’s the chirping of birds. Walking in nature and listening to their pleasant melody has such calming effect on us.

Even on our smartphones and other devices, we use their singing for relaxing. And some of us merely like to listen to their lovely songs.

Probably, that is way from all bird species on the planet, among the most favored species, are passerine, also known as songbirds. But one bird species will never cease to amaze us with its appearance - the Tanagers.

Tanagers are a part of the Thraupidae family, in order Passeriformes. The Thraupidae family counts about 240 species, and most of them are vivid colored, which makes them have an irresistible look.

However, you can always give it a try to choose one favorite species of tanager birds, but we forewarn you that it will be a challenging task, almost impossible to accomplish. Each of these birds has a distinctive adorable appearance, designated by its own outstanding beauty.

In order to show you their stunning appearance, here is one of them - the Crimson-backed tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiates). 

It is a small bird with flashy red feathers. Its feathers are burgundy-red on the head and chest, but as it goes towards an abdomen and the lower back, the color becomes brighter and gets vivid red.

The tail and wings are black, and the shiny white beak completes his perfect look. 

Although the Crimson-backed tanagers' way of life, habits, and behavior have not been wholly recorded and tested yet, we do know some interesting facts about these mysterious birds.

The Crimson-backed tanager is a small bird that reaches a length of about 18 cm or 7.1 inches.

The females have slightly darker feathers with black underparts. In mating season, the females lay blue eggs with dark dots.

The number of laid eggs per female has not been observed yet.

They can be found in South and Central America, but mostly in Panama, Venezuela and Colombia.

In Panama, they can be found on the western side of the country, in the provinces of Chiriqui and Veraguas, as well as in Coiba island and the Pearl Islands. The Crimson-backed tanager has its nickname in Panama, it's called "Sangre de toro", which means the "Blood of the bull".

They also like subtropical or tropical marshlands and subtropical or tropical damp shrublands in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador.

These birds like to inhabit forests, brush, and gardens.

Their favorite habitats are lowland forests and severely degraded former woodlands.

They live in flocks.

"The Crimson-backed tanager was first described by French naturalist Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1837. It is one of nine species of brightly colored tanagers of the genus Ramphocelus. 

Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates its closest relative is the masked crimson tanager (R. nigrogularis), and the two split around 800,000 years ago." Wikipedia

Tanagers are among the most beautiful birds. They mostly wear vivid colors feathers which makes them look outstanding.

Although there are many tanagers subspecies, they all have their charm, and they catch eyes with no effort at all. The Crimson-backed tanager is special for its shining beak, and the burning red feathers just make it more adorable.

Filip