Flame-colored Tanager Piranga bidentata Scientific name definitions

The Flame-colored Tanager is widespread and common in the highlands of Central America, from northern Mexico south to western Panama. It primarily is resident, but some individuals disperse, especially after breeding, and it is a rare visitor to the mountains of the southwestern United States. Flame-colored Tanager occurs in a variety of forested habitats, including humid evergreen forest, pine-oak forests, and forest edge. Males are primarily orange or red, with dusky stripes on the back, and black wings with prominent white wing bars and tips to the tertials. The male of subspecies bidentata of western Mexico is more orange, especially on the face and the belly, than are males of the three other subspecies, which are redder overall. Females lack red or orange; they are olive above, with dusky streaks, and yellow below, with a wing pattern similar to that of the male. This species forages for a variety of fruits and insects in the midstory and canopy. Flame-colored Tanager usually travels alone or in pairs, which frequently associate with mixed-species flocks.

18–19 cm; 33·3–39·4 g (nominate), 32–48·4 g (flammea). Distinctive tanager with strong bill. Male nominate race has lores, ocular area and ear-coverts light brown, darker border to rear of ear-coverts; rest of head  and entire underparts flame red-orange, becoming paler on lower underparts  ; mantle  and back dusky orange, tinged olive, and boldly streaked black, rump paler and much less streaked (or with almost no streaking); tail dusky, tips of outermost feathers white (forming white tail corners); median and greater upperwing-coverts blackish, broadly tipped white (forming two conspicuous wingbars); primary coverts black, flight-feathers dusky, edged brown, tertials with large white spot on tip of each feather, and often a tiny white tip on several innermost secondaries; iris dark reddish-brown; bill blackish above, grey to dark grey below; legs blackish. Female  is patterned like male, but head and underparts yellow, contrasting dusky ear-coverts, crown tinged olive; back olive, streaked black; upperwing and tail brownish, with markings as on male. Juvenile is like female, but pale yellow on head and underparts, and with variable amount of streaking below; immature male much like female, but head and underparts mottled with red or orange-red. Race flammea is similar to nominate, but paler red; <em>sanguinolenta</em> also is similar, but head and underparts bright red to orange-red, wingbars and tertial spots sometimes tinged red; citrea is somewhat paler and more orange below.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

• Hepatic x Flame-colored Tanager (hybrid) Piranga flava x bidentata
• Western x Flame-colored Tanager (hybrid) Piranga ludoviciana x bidentata

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Canopy and treetops of moist and humid mountain forest, scattered trees in adjacent shady pastures, coffee plantations, gardens and other settled areas with large trees; in N part of range S to Nicaragua, also in open oak (Quercus) and pine–oak (Pinus–Quercus) woodland. From c. 800 m to tree-line in Mexico; locally down to near sea-level in Guatemala; in Costa Rica, c. 1850–2850 m on Caribbean slope and regularly down to 1200 m, rarely even to 900 m, on Pacific slope; mostly above 1200 m in Panama.

Largely resident; in Mexico may move to lower elevations during winter months. Rare pre-breeding and post-breeding wanderer/vagrant in extreme S USA (Santa Rita, Huachuca, and Chiricahua Mts, in S Arizona; Big Bend National Park  , in W Texas).

Small arthropods; also variety of berries, including those of Ericaceae, melastomes, Ficus and Satyria. Not very gregarious, usually seen alone or in pairs, only infrequently in small groups; may join mixed-species flocks, but also often seen independently of them. Forages in high branches of tall trees by peering. Captures arthropods by reaching out or lunging forward, also by frequently making short sallies to foliage or to air. Although usually high up, may occasionally descend low to fruiting shrubs, rarely even to the ground.

Song  , from high perch, a long series of phrases of 3–6 notes, rich, musical and reminiscent of a vireo (Vireonidae), but with slight burr, e.g. “chewee-very-vire, chewee-very-vire-very, cheery-cheweea...” and so on, which is much like that of P. ludoviciana. Call is a loud, hard “per-díck” or “chi-díck”; also gives a rapid, rolled “chit-t-t-t-tik” or “p-terruk” and a musical “chirrup”.

Not globally threatened. Uncommon to locally fairly common. Rare breeder in extreme S USA  (S Arizona and W Texas), where first record (in Apr 1985, in Cave Creek Canyon, in Chiricahua Mts of Arizona) was of a male paired with a female P. ludoviciana. Occurs in a number of protected areas from Mexico S to W Panama, including, in Mexico, Cumbres de Majalca (Chihuahua) and Sierra de Manantlán National Parks (Jalisco) and La Michilía Biosphere Reserve (Durango), and also Celaque National Park (Honduras), Chirripó/La Amistad International Park (Costa Rica) and Volcán Barú and La Amistad National Parks (Panama). Range also encompasses large areas of unprotected highland woodland including pine–oak forest. Despite range contractions locally, the species is adapted to utilize disturbed and partially opened areas and park-like highland terrain, and is thus less sensitive to environmental disturbance than are many species.