A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Ramphocelus passerinii
The female has a grey head, olive upperparts becoming brighter and paler on the rump, brownish wings and tail and ochre underparts. It is very common from sea level to 1200 m altitude, and occurs occasionally up to 1700 m. The preferred habitat is semi-open areas including light second growth, woodland edges, gardens and pasture with bushes. Passerini's tanagers occur in pairs, small groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. This species feeds on certain small fruit, usually swallowed whole, insects and spiders.
Arenal Volcano area. Feeding on a fruit in a group of several females and one male.
Spotted on Apr 11, 2014
Submitted on May 29, 2014
5 Comments
In this case there is only one little misspelling in the scientific name left ;-)...
In some of the guides I have it points at the presence of both species in this area. I think is the same case as the canadian geese, which are also found in Europe. We underestimate the ability of birds to cross mountains. Think of the hummingbirds that in spite of being so tiny and in need of energy they can cross the Andes by flying on top of the mountains and can also cross the whole Gulf of Mexico by sea. I think the barrier the tanagers encounter is much less big than in these other species cases :-)
There is no need to change your ID, I just wanted to focus on the geographic location. Looking at the females of both, you are right. Alajuela is for me clearly on the pacific slope, there might be a small passage, but with quite high mountains including the Poas, the Tillaran Mountains and the Central Mountains. These seems to me quite a clear border between both, Caribbean and Pacific slope.
Well, I am sorry but in this case I don´t think I agree with you, just based on the location. If you look at the female cherry tanager on other pictures online and you look then at the paseriniis one, then you will see this image here looks a lot more like the second since the cherry's female has a more orange breast, which the ones I show in this spotting don't have. On the other hand I doubt that the male hanging with these paseriniis females is a cherry one. I think both species may converge in the same areas between Caribbean and Pacific slopes. After all there are no real borders where the species have to show their "passports" to cross from one side to another. So, as you see, bayucca, I take into account your suggestions and I check them, but if I don´t agree, I do not change the species name :-)
To my knowledge Alajuela is on th pacific slope, so yours should be Ramphocelus costaricensis, Cherrie's Tanager. Ramphocelus passerinii is from the Caribbean slope. Would you, please, check the exact location and verify the geographic range.