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Rosy Thrush-tanager | Rhodinocichla rosea
Troepiaaltangare | Tangara cuitlacoche
The Rosy Thrush-tanager is a thrush-like songbird of dense undergrowth, the male slate-grey with a rosy-red throat and breast. It is the only species in its family, Rhodinocichlidae, and is not closely related to the true tanagers. In the guide area it lives in two separate regions: western Mexico and southern Costa Rica and Panama.
Voice
The song is a loud, rich and clear series of varied whistles, such as cho-wee, cheero; pairs often sing in duet. It also gives a soft, nasal chuk. Usually heard rather than seen.
Recording: Charlie Vogt — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
19–20 cm. Slender, with a fairly long, slightly curved bill, short rounded wings and a long tail. The male is dark slate-grey above, with a rosy-red supercilium in front of the eye and rosy-red throat, breast and centre of the belly; flanks grey. The female has the same pattern, but the rosy red is replaced by warm orange-brown to ochre. It feeds on the ground, flicking leaves aside with its bill.
Confusion species
Few other species resemble it. Male Red-crowned Ant Tanager Habia rubica is entirely dull red, without grey upperparts. In poor light females could be confused with Rufous-breasted Wren Pheugopedius rutilus, but that species is much smaller, with a speckled face and a barred tail.
Habitat
Dense undergrowth and thickets in dry and semi-evergreen forest, secondary forest, forest edges and overgrown clearings; in Mexico mainly in dry to semi-humid forest, in Costa Rica and Panama also in more humid growth. From sea level to about 1200 m. It lives hidden close to the ground and eats insects, other invertebrates and seeds.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of Mexico and Central America.
Range and movements
In western Mexico along the Pacific slope from southern Sinaloa to Jalisco and Colima. Also in south-western Costa Rica and in Panama, mainly on the Pacific side as far as the Panama Canal area. Outside the guide area in northern Colombia and northern Venezuela.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Known from the surroundings of San Blas in Nayarit and from Parque Natural Metropolitano in Panama City. Best tracked down early in the morning by its song and by the rustle of tossed leaves in the undergrowth.
Conservation status
Not threatened (LC). Locally fairly common, but hard to see because of its secretive habits. Loss of dry forest and thickets, especially in western Mexico, is the main threat.
Scientific name
Rhodinocichla rosea | (Lesson, 1832)
Lesson described the species in 1832 as Furnarius roseus; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Rhodinocichla was introduced in 1853 by Hartlaub. Rhodinocichla is Greek, from rhodinos 'rose-red' and kikhlē 'thrush': 'rosy thrush', after the pink plumage. rosea is Latin for 'rosy', after the pink throat and breast of the male. The specimen the first description was based on came from Caracas, Venezuela (substituted type locality).