The crimson-collared grosbeak (''Rhodothraupis celaeno'') is a medium-size

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

- and leaf-eating

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 same family as the northern cardinal,

Cardinalidae Cardinalidae (often referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. It also includes several birds such as the tanager-lik ...

. The crimson-collared grosbeak is primarily found in north-eastern

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 ...

from central Nuevo León and central

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

south to northern

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

; however, it occasionally strays into the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

of southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, mostly in winter. This bird is 20.2-23.5 cm (8.0-9.25 inches) in length. It probably weighs about 60 grams (2.1 ounces), but it is unknown. Mature males have black plumage with a dull red (Sibley 2000) or pinkish red (Howell and Webb 1995) "collar" on the nape, shoulders, and belly (much like the crimson-collared tanager); the belly is mottled with black. Mature females have a black head and breast like males but greenish upperparts and yellowish underparts. Young birds are similar to females but have less black. The beak is black, big and stubby, with the upper mandible jutting roughly perpendicular to the forehead. The song is a warble, often slurred upward at the end. Calls are penetrating whistles starting with an "s" sound, slurred downward or one upward followed by one downward. The crimson-collared grosbeak inhabits humid or semi-arid forest and second growth, from low to high levels, sometimes skulking on the ground. It occurs singly, in pairs, or in mixed-species flocks. The nest is a bulky cup made of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

and twigs and placed in a bush. The female lays two or three pale blue-grey

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

with brown markings. Rhodothraupis celaeno 1902

References

* *

External links

Photograph of a male
* https://www.hbw.com/species/crimson-collared-grosbeak-caryothraustes-celaeno {{Taxonbar, from=Q1963823 crimson-collared grosbeak crimson-collared grosbeak Endemic birds of Northeastern Mexico crimson-collared grosbeak Birds of the Sierra Madre Oriental Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Veracruz moist forests