Piranga olivacea
A breathtaking jewel of the eastern North American forests, the Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) is celebrated for the male's incandescent plumage. During the breeding season, males boast a brilliant scarlet body contrasted sharply with jet-black wings and tail, making them an unmistakable "fire in the forest" against verdant foliage. Measuring around 17 cm (6.7 in) in length with a wingspan of 29 cm (11.5 in) and weighing 25-38 g (0.9-1.3 oz), these birds are medium-sized songbirds. Female...
Prefers mature deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, often with an open understory. Typically found in interior forest tracts at low to moderate elevations.
Primarily consumes insects such as beetles, cicadas, caterpillars, and ants, gleaned from foliage or captured in flight. Also incorporates a significant amount of small fruits and berries into its diet, especially during migration and late summer.
Scarlet Tanagers are diurnal birds, typically foraging high in the forest canopy, often remaining surprisingly inconspicuous despite the male's vibrant color. They primarily glean insects from leaves and branches, but also exhibit agile aerial hawking to catch flying prey. During the breeding sea...
The Scarlet Tanager breeds across eastern North America, primarily east of the Great Plains, from southeastern Canada (including Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes) south through the eastern and central United States, extending west to parts of eastern North Dakota and eastern Texas. Their prefer...
Least Concern
- The male Scarlet Tanager's brilliant red plumage is caused by carotenoid pigments obtained from its diet, making it a true 'you are what you eat' bird! - Despite its striking color, the Scarlet Tanager can be surprisingly difficult to spot in the dense forest canopy, often being detected by its...