Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Brightly colored birds are related to grosbeaks and buntings. They have long, thick bills and feed mostly on fruit and insects.

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Description:

Male has brilliant red head, bright yellow body, black back, wings and tail. Two yellow wing bars are visible. Bill is gray, feet dark gray. Female has two phases: one, greenish yellow with gray back and the other is mostly gray with yellow only on the head and under tail. Both phases have brown wings with two light wing bars. Medium sized 6-7 ½ inches.

Voice:

Call a slurred pit-er-ic. Song is strong and carries far; a series of 2 to 3 syllable slow phrases.

Food:

Forages in foliage. Eats wasps and other insects, often catching them in air; also, berries and fruit.

Nest:

Nestled in fork of a horizontal branch, usually low in pine or fir trees. Made of twigs and roots, lined with finer materials. Eggs, 3-5 per clutch; pale blue lightly specked with brown and lilac.

Habitat:

Western Bluebirds prefer coniferous forest and open woods at low to mid elevations for nesting.

Range:

The geographic region of Western Tanagers follows the forest, ranging from the western coasts of North America and Central America from Alaska all the way to Panama.

Migration:

The Western Tanager spends the winter in Central America and summers/breeds in coniferous forests throughout western North America.

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