Piranga ludoviciana
male
A male Western Tanager is colorful and almost unmistakable. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult summer males have a black back, tail, and wings, the latter with two wingbars, the upper of these yellow and the lower white. The body plumage is otherwise yellow, and the head is flushed with red. Adult winter males are similar, but yellow elements to the plumage are grubbier and most of the red color is lost, with just a hint retained at the base of the bill. Adult females are similar to a winter male, but black elements of the plumage are gray-green, the red color is entirely absent, and the wingbars are less distinct. Immatures resemble their respective winter adults but are paler and less colorful overall.
The Western Tanager is present as a breeding species in western North America mainly from May to August. It spends the rest of the year in Central America. Like other tanagers, its colorful plumage helps it blend in remarkably well with dappled foliage in the tree canopy.
male
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 7.25 in (18.5 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates, fruits, and berries
HABITAT Conifer and mixed woodland
STATUS Widespread and common summer visitor
VOICE Song is a series of fluty two-note whistles. Call is a rattling trrrt
