Start your day, like this Curve-billed, in a contemplative mood.
It just struck me since he was so still and with eyes tilted down that he was in deep thought. Funny how us humans can project our “feelings” on the wildlife we see.
It has been cold here at Picacho Peak and I think this Gila is all puffed up trying to stay warm.Note the red crown; this is a male.Note the barred tail feathers.Note the patch of yellow below the belly.
I saw this pair at Madera Canyon, Rita Lodge back in January. What a treat!
~Why is it called a hepatic tanager?
The Hepatic Tanager’s sweet, caroling song carries well through the open pine and pine-oak forests of its highland habitats. Named for the male’s dusky reddish upperparts (“hepatic” refers to the liver), this species’ scientific name ( flava) also references the female’s yellow plumage.
~Where do tanagers live in the US?
Hepatic Tanagers occur in much of South and Central America and barely reach the southwestern U.S., where they are common but very little studied. They have gradually expanded their range northward since the 1960s.
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