Scarlet Tanager
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Scarlet Tanager


(Piranga olivacea)


Male Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager Family

Photo: Ron Austing


Size             : 6 - 7  inches long

Description      : Have large, but thin and pointed beaks, identifying them as fruit and insect eaters 
                   Male - Brilliant red body with black wings and tail: Female - olive drab/yellow
                   Unlike cardinals, they do not have a crest on their heads

Preferred Habitat: Deciduous and mixed woodlands

Preferred food   : Insects and fruit

Breeding Range   : Nova Scotia west to southern Saskatchewan, south to eastern Oklahoma and east to coast of Virginia

Winter Range     : South America

Interesting Facts: Common in wooded areas in spring and summer
                   Have a hoarse, robin-like song
                   Live high in tree canopy and rarely descend to eye level
                   More likely to visit your birdbath than your feeder