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Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana

Classification

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cardinalidae
Genus: Piranga

ICUN Redlist - World Status:

Least Concern

Description

The western tanager is 6-7 inches in length. The male western tanager has a bright red head, a bright yellow body, and black wings. The female western tanager is greenish-yellow on top and yellow on her undersides. Both the male and female have two wing bars. The top wing bar is yellow and the bottom one is white.

Range

map The western tanager is found in the western United States and Canada. It breeds from southern Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada south through the western United States. It winters in in Mexico and South America and occasionally in Southern California.

Habitat

The western tanager breeds in open coniferous forests and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. It is found at elevations of up to 10,000 feet. It winters in open mountain pine woodlands and in parks and gardens.

Diet

The western tanager eats fruits and insects. It forages for food in the trees and shrubs. It also catches insects in the air.

Life Cycle

The female western tanager lays 3-5 eggs in a cup-shaped nest made of woven bark, grass, and weeds. The nest is placed in the fork of a tree. The female incubates the eggs. The eggs hatch in about two weeks. Both parents care for the chicks.

Behavior

The western tanager is a long-distance migrator. Every year it travels between its wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America to its breeding grounds in western North America.

Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Andrew Spencer