Scarlet-rumped Tanager – Arenal Volcano, CR

This Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) was sitting quietly in trees just outside of Arenal Observatory Lodge. Its brilliant crimson rump stood out against otherwise jet-black plumage and the surrounding leaves. Females look remarkably different, with olive-brown upperparts with buffy underparts and a much duller reddish rump. This makes them far less conspicuous than the males. The species ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to western Panama. Scarlet-rumped tanagers are found on Caribbean-slope locations where they like humid lowland and foothill forests, forest edges, and fruiting trees. These locations include Quebrada González in Braulio Carrillo National Park, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and Cinchona. A favorite at fruiting trees with mixed flocks, tanagers are important seed dispersers, helping regenerate the forests they call home.