Summer Tanager

A Very Rare Tanager - Summer Tanager

Summer Tanager Male

The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) is a very rare species to find in New Brunswick.  However, this year we seem to be having a minor incursion of this species.  There have been reports of at least 10 individuals, sometimes 2 in one place.  How exciting that is for bird enthusiasts!

The Summer Tanager is a member of the Cardinalidae family, which it shares with other tanagers, cardinals and grosbeaks.  It is a large tanager, larger than the Scarlet Tanager which is more common here; (20cm [7.8"] compared to 18 cm [7"] for the Scarlet Tanager.  

The Summer Tanager is a most spectacular breeding bird.  The male shows a uniform blood-red plumage with wings slightly darker.  The female is a deep yellow, often with an orangish tinge.  The female plumage colour is variable though, often making identification difficult.  The bill of both genders is large and light grayish to a straw colour.  There are no wing bars and the wings of both genders contrast with the body by being just a bit darker.  The wings are not black like in the Scarlet Tanager.  The young tanagers take 2 years to acquire adult plumage and young males usually show very streaked  red and yellow plumage.

The female is sometimes difficult to tell from the female Scarlet Tanager but the wings of the Summer Tanager are dark yellow, not black like in the Scarlet Tanager.  The under-surface of the tail of the Summer Tanager is yellow compared to gray in the Scarlet Tanager.  

Birding is often not easy and there is a trait of the Summer Tanager which can make identification difficult.  There sometimes is a red morph female in this species.  She is often an orange-red but never-the-less, red.  The photo at the top of this post is labelled as a male and it probably is but since it has an orange cast to its red pigment and not blood-red, it could be a red morph female.  This form is very rare, however, so the bird shown at the top is likely a young male.

Summer Tanager Female

The Summer Tanager is mainly a species of the southern US, spending its summers from the central US (east to west) to the south.  It winters in the tropics from central Mexico south  and in the Caribbean Islands.  This species prefers hardwood habitats along streams and rivers.  It feeds on insects and prefers bees and wasps.  It is interesting how it handles feeding on these stinging insects.  It catches a bee in flight and kills it by beating it on a branch.  Note the large bill.  It then removes the stinger by rubbing it on the branch before eating it.  

Summer Tanager Male

The male Summer Tanagers shown here were photographed in New Brunswick, in Gagetown, just recently.  The song of this species is pure and melodious.  It is a series of whistles or warbles and can be confused with the song of the American Robin or the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  It is beautiful to hear I wish we heard it more often here.  

Shown below is a visual delight I was privy to recently.  This particular family had many birds coming to their back yard feeders.  I was able to capture the male Baltimore Oriole feeding at the same time as the male Summer Tanager.  Feast your eyes!  Nature produces such marvellous beauty.

Summer Tanager Sharing Feeder with Baltimore Oriole