Scarlet Tanager

Overview

Scarlet Tanager: Medium tanager with brilliant red body, black wings, tail. The only bird in North America with this unique plumage. Heavy bill is yellow-gray. Gray legs and feet. Winter male has dull green upperparts, yellow-green underparts, often interspersed with red during molt.

Range and Habitat

Scarlet Tanager: Breeds from extreme southeastern Canada to east-central U.S. Spends winters in northwestern South American tropical forests. Found in deciduous forests, pine-oak woodlands, parks, and suburban areas with large trees.

INTERESTING FACTS

Scarlet Tanagers have been recorded eating over 2,000 gypsy moth caterpillars in an hour.
The song of the Scarlet Tanager has been compared to that of a “robin with a sore throat.”
They become noisy and swoop around most birds who prey on them, such as Blue Jays and Eastern Screech owls, however they remain still and quiet around Merlins and American Crows.
A group of tanagers are collectively known as a "season" of tanagers.

The Scarlet Tanager has a large range, estimated globally at 2,600,000 square kilometers. Native to the Americas and nearby island nations, this bird prefers temperate, subtropical, or tropical forest ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 2,200,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Scarlet Tanager is Least Concern.