Crimson-collared Grosbeak

The Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Rhodothraupis celaeno, is a medium-sized bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalidae. It is primarily found in northeastern Mexico from central Nuevo León and central Tamaulipas south to northern Vera Cruz. However, it occasionally strays into the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas, mostly in winter.

Mature males have black plumage with a dull red or pinkish red collar on the nape, shoulders, and belly. The belly is mottled with black. Mature females have a black head and breast like males but greenish upper parts and yellowish under parts. Young birds are similar to females but have less black. The beak is black, big and stubby, with the upper mandible jutting roughly perpendicular to the forehead.

The Crimson-collared Grosbeak inhabits humid or semi-arid forest and second growth, from low to high levels, sometimes skulking on the ground. It occurs singly, in pairs, or in mixed-species flocks. The nest is a bulky cup made of grass and twigs and placed in a bush. The female lays 2 or 3 pale blue-gray eggs with brown markings.