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 (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

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 "unisp ...

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

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family (biology), 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 ...

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

Calcariidae Calcariidae is a small family (biology), 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 ...

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

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

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

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 vocalizatio ...

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 Partners in Flight / Compañeros en Vuelo / Partenaires d’Envol is an organization launched in 1990 in response to growing concerns about declines in the populations of many land bird species, and to emphasize the conservation of birds not covered ...

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) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

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

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