Scarlet-browed Tanager Heterospingus xanthopygius Scientific name definitions

Fairly common in its range, Scarlet-browed Tanager inhabits lowlands and foothills west of the Andes. They can be found in humid forest, second-growth woodland, and borders. Often encountered as pairs, they frequently join mixed foraging flocks of other tanagers, where they stay high in the canopy. They forage by short sallies and gleaning for invertebrates, eating fruit only occasionally. They can often be seen sitting on exposed branches. This tanager is distinctive in appearance; note the overall solid dark color, yellow rump, and white tuft at the side of the breast. Males also have the namesake red stripe behind the eye. Their call is a relatively low, squeaky chip: “chyup.”

17 cm; two males 38 g and 39·5 g (berliozi). Relatively large, dark tanager with heavy bill slightly hooked at tip. Male nominate race is mainly sooty-black above and below, with bright yellow rump; inconspicuous white line above eye broadens into prominent and slightly raised scarlet postocular tuft; lesser upperwing-coverts bright yellow (often hidden, but may show at bend of wing), rest of wing and tail sooty-black; lower underparts slate-grey; underwing-coverts white, and with elongated white pectoral tuft usually pro­truding slightly beneath wing; iris dark red; bill blackish; legs dark grey. Female is dark leaden grey from crown to back, rump bright yellow, uppertail-coverts dark grey, tail blackish; lesser wing-coverts yellow (invariably hidden), rest of wing-coverts dark grey, flight-feathers blackish; throat and underparts slightly paler grey than upperparts, white pectoral tuft often visible beneath wing, undertail-coverts tinged yellowish. Juvenile is like female; immature male has dark grey of upperparts gradually replaced by black. Race <em>berliozi</em> male differs from nominate in having body plumage slaty , rather than black, female darker than nominate, has white pectoral tufts reduced (less visible).

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Noted eating Cecropia catkins and Miconia berries, and in Panama seen to forage around flowers. Contents of one stomach were vegetable matter, of another both vegetable and animal matter ; items identified were beetles (Coleoptera), an ant (Formicidae), and seeds of an oleaceous plant. Encountered mostly in pairs, less often singly or in groups of 3–4 individuals that regularly follow mixed-species flocks, especially those with honeycreepers and other tanagers, in canopy and subcanopy; sometimes comes lower along forest borders. In nine observations in Colombia, height above ground of foraging individuals ranged from 5·5 m to 33·5 m. May sit motionless or move sluggishly, perch erect and exposed on treetops for short periods, then peer rapidly at tops of leaves, lunge or peck at prey, sally heavily to foliage, flutter-chase prey in foliage and, after short foraging bout, fly off some distance to another site, leaving slower-moving members of mixed flocks behind. Seen to take Miconia berries and Cecropia catkins from perch on branch, twigs and petioles.

Infrequently heard song  , in W Colombia, a squeaky, twittering and somewhat rhythmic “cheero-bitty cheero-bitty cherro-pit-sup”, or other variation consisting of disyllabic and trisyllabic notes repeated over and over, rather weak; sometimes longer song, lasting for several seconds; songs may be given repeatedly with brief pauses between them, or a few random single notes and louder calls interspersed between songs. Frequently heard call a loud, forceful “chip”, nasal in quality and often repeated excitedly during foraging with mixed flocks; also thin high “tseet” notes.