Western Colombia on both slopes of Cauca Valley from central Antioquia south to Cauca, the upper Patía Valley in south-western Cauca, and locally on western slope of Andes (mostly as expansion across low passes from Cauca Valley, from Risaralda, on upper R San Juan, south to north-western Nariño); also western slope of eastern Andes above Magdalena Valley, in Santander.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Flame-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus) [XC101403]
by Oscar Humberto Marin-Gomez from SFF Otun-Quimbaya, Pereira, Risaralda, C Andes, Colombia (call)
Flame-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus) [XC285559]
by David Monroy Rengifo from Reserva La Romera, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia (call, song)
Subspecies
Usually treated as conspecific with Lemon-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus icteronotus), and, despite striking visual differences, genetic differences between the two taxa apparently minimal. Also, the two now apparently interbreed freely in western Andes (along a relatively narrow but apparently stable band at middle elevations near crest of, or on, upper Pacific slope), where recent deforestation has permitted them to expand ranges and to meet. However, differences between them seem comparable to, and visually much more obvious than, those between Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) and Cherrie's Tanager (Ramphocelus costaricensis), which are now regarded as two separate species. Present species is also very similar in appearance to both Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) and Cherrie's Tanager (Ramphocelus costaricensis), although geographically well isolated from them. Furthermore, it shows a high sequence divergence (4·7%) from these two species, indicating its genetic isolation.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet