The Crimson-backed Tanager is a striking bird that belongs to the Thraupidae family, along with other tanagers, honeycreepers, and euphonias. It is the only bird in North America that has a completely red or yellow body, depending on the sex. The male has a velvety red plumage, while the female has a mustard-yellow one. Both sexes have a black bill, a long tail, and a blond crest that can be raised or lowered.
The Crimson-backed Tanager lives in the humid tropical lowlands of Central America, from Mexico to Panama. It also has been introduced to French Polynesia2. It prefers evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, but also occurs in mangroves, coastal scrub, and clearings with tall trees. It is uncommon and often inconspicuous, as it forages mainly at middle to upper levels of the forest.
The Crimson-backed Tanager feeds mostly on ants and termites, which it catches on the wing or pecks from tunnels and bark. It also eats other insects, seeds, nuts, berries, eggs, and small animals. It sometimes visits bird feeders, where it may compete with other birds for food. It has a loud and harsh voice, and can imitate the sounds of other birds, animals, and humans. It has a distinctive chuckling call note, and a song that resembles a robin’s but is clearer and less nasal.
The Crimson-backed Tanager breeds from March to June, depending on the location. It builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs, moss, and mud, usually in a conifer tree. The female lays 3 to 6 greenish or bluish eggs with brown spots, and the male helps to incubate the eggs and feed the young. The chicks fledge after about 16 days, and stay with their parents for another month or so.
The Crimson-backed Tanager is a resident bird that does not migrate. It is not threatened by extinction, and has a large and stable population. However, it may face some threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, as well as from predators, parasites, and diseases. Therefore, it is important to protect and conserve its natural environment, and to appreciate its beauty and role in the ecosystem.
