Birds · Passeriformes · Thraupidae

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The scarlet tanager is one of the most spectacular birds in North America: the male in spring is a pure scarlet red with black wings and tail, a contrast no other bird on the continent can match. In autumn he moults into an olive green similar to the female's and migrates to the forests of the Andes and western Amazonia.

Weight

23 g – 38 g

Size

16 cm – 19 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

biologíaThe males turn from a deep summer red to a greenish plumage like the female's after the post-breeding moult, which hides them better on migration.
The male changes completely twice a year: scarlet and black in spring, olive green in autumn, so much so that on migration moulting birds have a bewildering blotchy look.
It is one of the few birds that eats hairy caterpillars and wasps, prey most birds avoid: it rubs them against the branch to remove the stinging hairs or the sting before swallowing them.
It depends on mature, unbroken deciduous woodland: in small fragments its nests are heavily parasitised by the brown-headed cowbird and breeding success collapses.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Mature deciduous oak woodland of eastern North America; winters in the Andes and Amazonia
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/