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Help develop a Bird ID tool!

Summer Tanager

Piranga rubra ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: CARDINALIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

The only entirely red bird in North America, the Summer Tanager is a bird of southern forests. It specializes in eating bees and wasps, both in the summer and on its wintering grounds in Central and South America.

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Appearance

Finchlike
Finchlike
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Medium-sized songbird.
  • Male entirely red; female dull yellow.

Male Description

Entirely bright red. Wings slightly darker or more gray, especially in winter (Basic Plumage).

Female Description

Upperparts plain yellowish olive green. Brighter yellow on crown and rump. Underparts dull yellow, with olive green wash on sides. Wing feathers grayish brown with yellow edging. Some females have red feathers. The red may be as a wash on body feathers, splotches of red feathers, or, rarely, the bird may be entirely red.

Immature Description

Immature resembles adult female. First spring male with variable amount of red and yellow feathers; may have only a few red feathers on head, or may be entirely red except for the wing feathers.

Range Map Help

Summer Tanager Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings

Field MarksHelp

  • Adult male

    Summer Tanager

    Adult male
    • Large, heavy-billed tanager
    • Bright crimson red overall
    • Pale-colored bill "inflated" at base
    • © reddirtpics, Oklahoma, May 2011
  • Adult female

    Summer Tanager

    Adult female
    • Large, thick-billed tanager
    • Yellow-green overall
    • Pale, "inflated"-looking bill
    • Green undertail
    • © Ali Iyoob, North Carolina, June 2009
  • Immature male

    Summer Tanager

    Immature male
    • Stocky, heavy-billed tanager
    • Young males show patchy red and yellow-green throughout
    • Bill appears "inflated" at base
    • © Rolando Chavez, Tabasco, Mexico, April 2010
  • Adult male

    Summer Tanager

    Adult male
    • Stocky and heavy-billed
    • Very large, pale bill
    • Bright red overall
    • Slight crested appearance
    • © Cleber Ferreira, Winter Park, Florida, October 2011
  • Adult female

    Summer Tanager

    Adult female
    • Stocky, heavy-billed tanager
    • Dull yellow-green overall
    • Bill appears "inflated
    • Green on underside of tail
    • © Andy K. Jordan, Silver Leaf, Texas, September 2011
  • Immature male

    Summer Tanager

    Immature male
    • Stocky
    • Patchy red and green throughout
    • Thick, pale bill
    • © Stephen Ramirez, Texas, May 2011

Similar Species

  • Adult male

    Hepatic Tanager

    Adult male
    • Slightly larger than Summer Tanager
    • Shorter, darker bill
    • Dusky gray patch on cheek and back
    • Red plumage more muted overall
    • © Lois Manowitz, Madera Canyon, Arizona, April 2011
  • Female

    Scarlet Tanager

    Female
    • Smaller and more compact than Summer Tanager
    • Bill shorter, thinner, and darker
    • Dusky gray wings
    • © Laura Erickson, Minnesota, August 2010
  • Breeding male

    Scarlet Tanager

    Breeding male
    • Smaller and more compact than Summer Tanager
    • Black wings and tail
    • Smaller, darker bill
    • © Danny Bales, June 2011
  • Adult female

    Western Tanager

    Adult female
    • Smaller and more compact than Summer Tanager
    • Gray wings with two bright wing-bars
    • Smaller, darker bill
    • © Nick Dean, Ridgefield NWR, Washington, September 2012

Similar Species

  • Scarlet Tanager male is brilliant red and has black wings. Scarlet Tanager female is greener and the wings are darker than the body.
  • Hepatic Tanager male has dusky gray face patch, is duller grayish red overall, has dark bill and legs, and darker wings and tail. Hepatic Tanager female has a darker bill, has a gray face patch, and gray sides.
  • Female orioles have white wingbars and more pointed bills.