The rosy thrush-tanager (''Rhodinocichla rosea'') or rose-breasted thrush-tanager is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the currently

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus ''Rhodinocichla''. It was formerly assigned to the family

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropica ...

and more recently viewed as being of uncertain placement; a 2015 molecular study places it closest to the

Calcariidae Calcariidae is a small family of passerine birds. It includes longspurs and snow buntings. There are six species in three genera worldwide, found mainly in North America and Eurasia. They are migratory and can live in a variety of habitats includ ...

. (see Fig. 1, 3rd panel) Found in Colombia, Costa Rica,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

Description

The rosy thrush-tanager is about long. The male is a distinctive bird with a long streak above the eye, pink in front of the eye and white behind. The upper parts are dark, brownish-black, the flanks are dusky grey and the underparts magenta, as is the leading edge of the wing. The female is generally similar to the male but the rosy-magenta is replaced by a deep ochre colour. The beak is long and slightly curved, resembling that of a

mimid __NOTOC__ The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. As their name (Latin for "mimic") suggests, these birds are notable for their vocalization, ...

Distribution and habitat

The distribution in Central America and northern South America includes Mexico, Costa Rica, northern Venezuela and northern Colombia. Typical habitat is thick undergrowth in deciduous forests, secondary woodland, thickets and scrubland. It most frequently occurs in the mountain foothills at altitudes varying between .

Ecology

The rosy thrush-tanager usually occurs singly or in pairs. It flits among low undergrowth or hops along on the ground, turning over the leaf litter with its beak. It is a shy, rather furtive bird and difficult to observe. It does, however, respond well if a recording of its voice is played to it; its song is a rich succession of clear notes, and is sometimes sung in duet, two birds alternating in its production. It is the only tanager known to sing in this way. The diet is a mixture of animal and vegetable matter. Breeding is reported to take place in July in Mexico and between January and September in Costa Rica.

Status

''R. rosea'' has a wide range and is estimated by Partners in Flight to have a total population of fewer than 50,000 individuals. However, the population seems to be stable and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q679711 rosy thrush-tanager Birds of Mexico Birds of Panama Birds of the Colombian Andes Birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Birds of the Venezuelan Coastal Range rosy thrush-tanager Taxonomy articles created by Polbot