- Cardellina rubra
Ergaticus ruber
Identification
Length: 13 cm (5 in). A small, bright red passerine bird. The adults are completely red, with a white or silver ear patch, depending on the subspecies.
Distribution
Endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico.
Taxonomy
It is closely related to the Pink-headed Warbler of Chiapas and Guatemala.
Formerly placed in genus Ergaticus.
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. r. melanauris:
- Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico (Chihuahua and Durango)
- C. r. rubra:
- South central Mexico (transvolcanic belt, from Jalisco and Michoacán to Veracruz and northern Oaxaca)
- C. r. rowleyi:
- Southern Mexico (mountains of Guerrero and southern Oaxaca)
Clements label the first of these as grey-cheeked, while the remaining two together are white-cheeked. A recent paper concludes that these two should be evaluated for potential splitting into two full species[3].
Habitat
Highlands. Lower to middle branches in mostly fir forest, also dense humid pine-oak or pine woodland.
Behaviour
Resident, non-migratory.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Birdforum thread discussing the phylogeography of the genus Ergaticus
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red_Warbler
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
