Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Tanager family (Thraupidae)
A medium-sized tanager. Male has a scarlet-red body with black wings and black tail. Female is yellowish below, olive green above, grayish brown wings, more greenish than Summer Tanager female.
Habitat:
Mature deciduous forest
Nesting:
Shallow saucer-shaped nest built on a horizontal limb. Eggs are pale blue-green with irregular dots of brown. Clutch size – 3 to 5 eggs.
Voice:
Song is similar to the American Robin, but phrases and notes are more hoarse, like an American Robin with a sore throat. Call is a distinct “chip-burr chip-burr”.
Name Origin:
The genus name Piranga is a native name for a South American bird. The species name olivacea is from the Latin for “olive,” referring to the color of the female. The common name Tanager is derived from tanagara, for “a bird” in Tupi, a South American language.
In the Nature Park:
Neotropical migrant. Arrives in late April. Common in the deep woods of the Nature Park.
Photos:
Scarlet Tanager female (left) and male (right)
