Costa Rica Photo Gallery

Birds at Savegre Mountain Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota.

January 2009 -- Digiscoped images by Joseph Morlan

Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata citrea)
28 January 2009, Savegre Mountain Hotel, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica This colorful member of the Piranga genus shares the fate of the North American tanagers in being reclassified as Cardinal/Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae), not true tanagers (Thraupidae). The scientific name P. bidentata, comes from the projecting "teeth" on the cutting edge of the maxilla. This is an adult male with overall orange-red coloration. The females are yellowish. Some authors call this bird the Streak-backed Tanager. Four races are recognized. This is the southernmost P. b. citrea which is confined to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. It averages deeper red, less orange, than the more northerly races which occur up through Mexico and occasionally to Arizona. It takes males two years to develop full breeding plumage. This persistent individual kept returning to the railing outside the windows of the hotel bar after attacking its reflection in the window. Panasonic DMC-LZ5 / Nikon FieldScope 3 / 30X WA hand-held (no adapter)
Joseph Morlan