Scarlet Tanager    Piranga olivacea

Migratory Status: Neotropical migrant

PIF Population Estimate: 2 200 000

Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: <25%

BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 123.11

PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 125

Canadian BBS Population trend: -1.0 n.s. (-2.2 to 0.3)

Life History

The adult male Scarlet Tanager is one of the most striking songbirds of North America. The male is a bright crimson-red overall with black wings and tail, and a pale-coloured bill. The female is mostly olive-green with muddier-coloured wings and tail, and lighter, olive-yellow underparts. Both adults are secretive and prefer to forage and sing in the upper canopy. Despite the bright colouration of the male, individuals are more often heard than seen.

The breeding range occurs throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States, up through the northern two-thirds of the Mississippi valley and into southern Ontario and Quebec and most of the maritime provinces. It also regularly breeds in south-eastern Manitoba, but rarely west into Saskatchewan. The breeding range roughly overlaps with the eastern hardwood forest biome. Scarlet Tanagers prefer mature deciduous woodlands, particularly where oaks (Quercus spp.) are common, but are also found in a variety of mixed forests. Scarlet Tanagers are generally interior-forest nesters and prefer larger patches of habitat. In some areas, forest tracts of at least 10 to 12 ha are favoured for breeding. This species occasionally nests in younger successional woodlands or in large shade trees in suburban areas and parks.

Adults often sing incessantly. The male’s song is 4 to 5 short, nasal rolling syllables, “querit, queer, queery, querit, queer”. The song is similar to a hoarse, mumbled song of the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) and, at times, the two songs can be easily confused. Females also sing; their song is similar to that of the male, but generally shorter and softer. Females often duet with males while on territory. Both sexes have a hoarse, throaty “Chip-Churr” call.

Seasonally monogamous, males mate with a single female each season, but not necessarily with the same mate in subsequent years. Males are highly territorial and aggressively chase away other male Scarlet Tanagers and prospective females. Where breeding ranges overlap, both adults are particularly territorial towards other tanager species. Occasionally males are known to help feed the young of other species until their own young have hatched.

Reference(s)

Mowbray, T. B. 1999. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), The Birds of North America Online, . A. Poole, Ed. Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/479