Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 6.3–7.5 in
16–19 cm - Weight
- 0.8–1.3 oz
24–36 g
Other Names
- Tangara à tête rouge (French)
- Tángara capucha roja (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Western Tanager breeds farther north than any other member of its mostly tropical family, breeding to nearly 60°N in the Northwest Territories.
- The red pigment in the face of the Western Tanager is rhodoxanthin, a pigment rare in birds. It is not manufactured by the bird, as are the pigments used by the other red tanagers. Instead, it must be acquired from the diet, presumably from insects that themselves acquire the pigment from plants.
Habitat
Forest
- Breeds in open coniferous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests.
- Winters in open mountain pine woodlands, second growth, and parks and gardens.
Food
Insects
Mainly insects, also fruit.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Bluish green spotted with brown.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with long down on head, back and wings.
Nest Description
Nest a flimsy, shallow open cup of twigs, grasses, bark strips, and rootlets, lined with grass, hair, or fine plant fibers. Placed in trees on top of branch well out from trunk.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Moves slowly and deliberately through foliage. Also flycatches. Comes to feeders for fruit.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not threatened or endangered.
Credits
- Hudon, J. 1999. Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana). In The Birds of North America, No. 432 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.