This guy is worth the post for the name alone. From the front, these birds appear uniformly black, but when at the right angle, and if they move their wings out of the way, that flame rump can be spectacular. Photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Every tanager has a flame-rump when they’re in their early 20s. By the time they’re pushing 40 it’s more of gelatinous, slow-moving lava bulge rump. They tell themselves they can get the flame-rump back if they just work at it but all they ever do is buy jeans that don’t really fit and then throw them away without wearing them.
This one reminds me of our Red Wing Blackbird, although I bet the tanager is smaller. If you ever see a flock of them in flight, they are dazzling, with their bright red wing stripe flashing in the sun.
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
This guy is worth the post for the name alone. From the front, these birds appear uniformly black, but when at the right angle, and if they move their wings out of the way, that flame rump can be spectacular. Photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Every tanager has a flame-rump when they’re in their early 20s. By the time they’re pushing 40 it’s more of gelatinous, slow-moving lava bulge rump. They tell themselves they can get the flame-rump back if they just work at it but all they ever do is buy jeans that don’t really fit and then throw them away without wearing them.
Good observation Louis. I believe that is the zoological explanation.
This one reminds me of our Red Wing Blackbird, although I bet the tanager is smaller. If you ever see a flock of them in flight, they are dazzling, with their bright red wing stripe flashing in the sun.
Yes, quite similar, although the red parts are a bit larger on this guy.