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Eastern Chat-Tanager | Calyptophilus frugivorus
Oostelijke tapuittangare | Chirrí de la Cordillera Central
The Eastern Chat-Tanager is the smaller of the two species of the family Calyptophilidae, found only on Hispaniola. Like the Western Chat-Tanager it lives hidden in dense undergrowth and is mostly heard. Of the three described subspecies, two are probably extinct: the nominate form of the lowlands of the Samaná Peninsula and abbotti of Gonâve Island.
Voice
Both sexes sing at dawn, in loud, varied, whistled phrases. For the nominate form a low, slurred swerp, swerp, chip, chip, chip has been described. The call is a sharp chek.
Recording: Lance A. M. Benner — CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
17–19 cm, with a long tail, strong legs and a pointed bill. The crown is dark brown, the face dark grey-brown with a yellow spot in front of and around the eye, and the bend of the wing is yellow. The upperparts are dark olive-brown, the tail more rufous. Throat and central underparts are white, the flanks grey-brown. The sexes are alike. The subspecies neibae is darker and smaller than the nominate form, with a redder tail.
Confusion species
Western Chat-Tanager Calyptophilus tertius is larger and heavier and lives in the Massif de la Hotte, Massif de la Selle and Sierra de Bahoruco; locality is the best guide. Black-crowned Palm-tanager Phaenicophilus palmarum is smaller, with a green back, a black crown and white spots around the eye. Green-tailed Warbler Microligea palustris is much smaller and greenish, without white on the underparts.
Habitat
Dense undergrowth of broadleaf montane forest and cloud forest, especially in ravines and along streams, up to about 2000 m. The extinct lowland form of Samaná lived below 600 m, that of Gonâve in semi-arid scrub near sea level. It forages on or just above the ground, mainly for insects and other invertebrates, supplemented by fruit.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation types of the Caribbean.
Range and movements
Only on Hispaniola. The surviving populations live in the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Neiba in the Dominican Republic, possibly also on the Haitian side of the Sierra de Neiba. The populations of the Samaná Peninsula and Gonâve have not been recorded since the early 1980s.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
The best chance is in the montane forests of the Cordillera Central in La Vega province and in the Sierra de Neiba, at first light, when the birds sing. During the day they keep to the dense growth of ravines, where they are mostly seen briefly crossing a track.
Conservation status
Near Threatened according to the IUCN. The world population is estimated at 10,000–16,700 mature individuals and is declining. Threats are logging and conversion of forest to farmland; protection in reserves is limited in practice. Two of the three subspecies have probably already disappeared.
Scientific name
Calyptophilus frugivorus | (Cory, 1883)
Cory described the species in 1883 as Phoenicophilus frugivorus; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Calyptophilus was introduced in 1884 by Cory. Calyptophilus is Greek, from kaluptō 'to hide' and philos 'lover', after its skulking life in dense undergrowth. frugivorus is Latin for 'fruit-eating', from frux, frugis 'fruit' and -vorus '-eating'. The specimen the first description was based on came from Villa Riva, Dominican Republic.