Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
39.9482, -105.371
Field Notes
Description:
Western Tanagers are stocky songbirds; fairly small yet noticeably larger and heavier-bodied than warblers. They have short, thick-based bills and medium-length tails.
Adult male Western Tanagers are yellow birds with black wings and a flaming orange-red head. The wings have two bold wingbars; the upper one yellow and the lower white. The back and tail are black. Adult females have red restricted to the front of the face, with subdued yellow-green plumage on the body. Immatures in fall lack red, while in spring show less red on the head relative to that on adults of their respective sex.
Habitat:
Foothills around 8,000 ft. near large body of water.
Notes:
I was pleasantly surprised to see this beauty of a bird on an afternoon hike today! I had never seen one so close. I spotted several males, but this bloke didn't seem to care that I was so close. He perched on thistles and hunted bugs while my dog and I hiked up the hill!
Comments (13)