Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Despite their brilliant color, males are often difficult to spot because they forage in the highest reaches of the forest canopy.
- Scientific name
- Piranga olivacea
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Cardinalidae › Piranga
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Mature deciduous and mixed forests, showing a preference for large, unfragmented tracts of oak-rich woodland.
- Diet
- Primarily insectivorous, hunting bees, wasps, and beetles; also consumes berries and wild fruits during migration and winter.
- Range
- Eastern North America, Central America, Northwestern South America
- Size
- Length: 16-19 cm; Weight: 23-38 g; Wingspan: 25-30 cm
- Lifespan
- 10-12 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Forest fragmentation, window collisions, and nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are shy and stay high in the canopy. Use binoculars for viewing. To protect them, ensure home windows have bird-safe decals to prevent collisions during migration.
The scarlet tanager ( Piranga olivacea ) is a medium-sized American songbird. Until recently placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging to the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species' plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family, although the Piranga species lacks the thick conical bill (well suited to seed and insect eating) that many cardinals possess.
Photo: Félix Uribe, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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