ML473496211
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
So I will probably change this to a 0 count after a bit cause I don’t want it on my lists but wanted to get the word out for anyone who might be interested in chasing an almost certainly uncountable bird. 99.9% sure this is an escapee/assisted bird in part of town with lots of shipping in the area, large Hispanic community just to east as well. Heard a sweet song for a sec and then a weird upslurred metallic “viit” call repeated in quick succession. I pished at it and it came in continuing to make this call. Very surreal experience having a tropical tanager just show up in some mustang grapevine tangles on a hot August Texas afternoon as I was checking out some drying up lakes and ponds looking for shorebirds and maybe a Dallas county Limpkin. Got recording and noticed the mostly dark plumage, dark eye, tanager shaped beak. Small compact tanager, not as big as cardinal or SUTA. Appeared mostly dark in the thick vines but in the bins could see some reddish especially on the underparts and rump. Looking at pics afterwards you can see the swollen and slightly paler lower mandible, especially closer to the face which in the male is very obvious and silver but in this immature or female is pretty reduced but still noticeable. Combination of mostly dark plumage with call makes me think SBTA as opposed to other Ramphocelus tanagers after doing a little looking on eBird. Seen at 10-15’ pretty clearly but in the shade of the vine tangles for about 60-90 seconds allowing for recording and crap iPhone pics through bins. Greg Cook came over to look after I lost it but he was unable to find it, I also continued to look for a bit and then came back around 1715 but no luck. Have seen this species in Ecuador before and others of the genus in other parts of Central America. Would gladly accept any thoughts on identification or theories on origination but I personally don’t see any way this sedentary/non-migratory tanager which is very common and widespread in most of South America including urban areas could have gotten here unassisted.
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 12.04 MB