Critically Endangered
Cherry-throated Tanager
Nemosia rourei
The cherry-throated tanager is a critically endangered bird native to the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.
Appearance
The cherry-throated tanager is a visually distinctive bird with an overall gray, black, and white plumage and a conspicuous bright red patch on the chest and throat. The patch may also contain some white feathers. The red patch contrasts with a broad black face mask that extends from the forehead across the eyes.
The undertail coverts are white and reach down a bit more than half the length of the tail.
Published measurements include mass about 22.
Range and habitat
The cherry-throated tanager is a local endemic of the Atlantic Forest, the second largest rainforest of the Americas, and one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Originally, this forest covered 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres), mostly in Brazil but extending south into parts of Paraguay and Argentina. The cherry-throated tanager has been recorded from mountainous regions at elevations between 850 and 1250 m, where it prefers tall trees with abundant epiphytes.
In 2023, the Caetés forest probably had 15 individuals, while the Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve had five known individuals. A 2024 review concludes that the total population is probably much smaller than 50 birds as little suitable habitat remains, although it is possible that the relatively large Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve houses yet undetected birds.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Breeding
A possible courtship behavior was observed in October, where the presumed male, being watched by the presumed female, was sitting high, tentatively flapping its half-open wings and calling faintly. On November 25, 1998, the first nest was observed, being located in a shallow depression at the base of a horizontal branch, at mid-height of the tree.
A group of three birds were found around the nest and called frequently, with one of the birds responding unusually aggressively to playback of recorded calls, immediately flying down towards the sound device. Two of the birds were constructing the nest, repeatedly bringing nest material, mostly lichen, and incorporating it into the nest by sitting on it and shaping it with movements of their bodies and their bills.
In crisis
By the end of 2023, 20 individuals were known and the total population was estimated to be fewer than 50 birds. It is also listed as Critically Endangered in the Regional Red Lists of Brazil, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais, and the population is thought to be in decline. In 2000, the IUCN estimated the total population at 50 to 249 individuals, though a 2005 study deemed this relatively optimistic estimate to be premature.
The known population in 2005 consisted of 14 individuals. In 2008, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) estimated the total population at no more than 20 individuals.
Cherry-throated Tanager is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Cherry-throated Tanager, Wikidata item Q1300418. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
