7.0” long. The Scarlet Tanager has a stout pointed bill. In the spring and summer the adult male has brilliant scarlet red plumage on the entire body except for the shiny black wings and tail. The female has an olive-green back with yellow underparts with the area above and in front of the eyes being yellowish giving the bird a somewhat spectacled appearance. The wings and tail are gray with greenish feather edges. Some females have a few white tips on the wing feathers giving the appearance of a very weak wing bar. In the fall and winter the male is similar to the female except for having a black tail and black wings.
The Scarlet Tanager is a somewhat common summer breeder that arrives in early May and leaves by mid September.
The Scarlet Tanager inhabits the treetops. Since it prefers the interior of forests it is sensitive to forest fragmentation. It is often overlooked due to its secretive behavior. It is a long-distance migrant, annually making the journey from northwestern South America to the United States and southern Canada. It mostly eats insects. During the breeding season, the Scarlet Tanager constantly sings from perches in the mid to upper canopy. The song is distinctive. It sounds like a hoarse robin “querit, queer, queery, queerit, queer”. It also frequently utters “chip-churr” calls that are quite distinctive.
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