Red-crowned Ant-Tanager (Habia rubica) |
Synonyms: Saltator rubicus |
Habia rubica is a widely-distributed Neotropical species found from central Mexico to south-eastern Brazil; also on Trinidad. It inhabits thick undergrowth in humid tropical forests, including second growth, up to 1,000 m. Sometimes included in the Cardinalidae; 17 subspecies. The male is brownish-red with a red crown stripe, throat and breast. The female is olive-brown with a yellowish crown stripe, and yellow throat. Length 17-19 cm, weight 27-43 g. The nest is a shallow cup in a sapling or tree fern, often near a stream. The clutch contains 2-3 eggs; incubation ca. 13 days; the young fledge after 10 days; may raise 2 broods a year in some areas. Red-crowned Ant-Tanager feeds on arthropods, and frequently follows army ant columns; also takes fruit.