Masked Crimson Tanager - Behavior

Behavior

The Masked Crimson Tanager has been speculated to engage in reverse sexual dominance behavior similar to their congener pair, the Silver-beaked Tanager. The Mask Crimson Tanagers, who belong to the passerine bird order exhibit this behavior similar to that of their cousin. However, there is no observable evidence to support the hypothesis that the Masked Crimson Tanager are among the rare and unexplained phenomenon of reverse sexual dominance. Under normal circumstances, passerine species of birds exemplify a default hierarchy of dominance wherein larger, heavier birds tend to dominate the smaller, lighter birds and males tend to dominate females. Between Masked Crimson Tanagers and the Silver-beaked Tanager, individuals engage in a form of interference competition, also known as competition by resource defense, when partitioning resource-rich habitats. The Masked Crimson Tanager prefer to inhabit sites close to or around oxbow lakes, a common geographical feature of their native Amazonia. They demonstrate aggression while defending the more productive areas around the lakes, causing the Silver-beaked Tanager to occupy the riparian forest. The Masked Crimson Tanagers are competitively superior and dominate most interspecies interactions with their cousin.