Are there Scarlet Tanagers in Arizona?

The Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) is a medium-sized songbird found throughout many parts of North America during the summer breeding season. Their bright red bodies and black wings make them a stunning sight. Tanagers migrate to Central and South America for the winter. This article explores whether Scarlet Tanagers can be found in the state of Arizona.

What is the Scarlet Tanager?

The Scarlet Tanager is a songbird in the cardinal family Cardinalidae. Some key facts about Scarlet Tanagers:

• Medium-sized with a length of 6.7 inches and wingspan of 11 inches
• Weighs 1.1 ounces on average
• Males are bright red with black wings and tail
• Females are yellowish with olive-colored wings and tail
• Insectivorous – primarily eat insects, beetles, wasps, bees, moths, butterflies
• Breed in mature deciduous and mixed forests
• Nest high in the canopy of trees
• Migratory – winters in South America

The Scarlet Tanager’s bright plumage distinguishes it from other tanager species. The contrasting colors of the male make it unmistakable. Females blend in more with their environment. Tanagers are often first detected by their song, described as a “chip-burr” or “quit-quit.”

Scarlet Tanager Range and Habitat

Scarlet Tanagers breed in mature forests across much of North America during the summer months. Their breeding range extends:

• Throughout eastern North America from Canada to the eastern US
• Across the Midwest into the Great Plains
• In pockets of the western US like northern California, Oregon, and Washington

Some key aspects of Scarlet Tanager breeding habitat:

• Mature deciduous forests, especially with oaks, maples, and poplars
• Also found in mixed forests
• Occasionally drier oak woodlands
• Forests with dense canopies
• Prefer large tracts of unfragmented forest

In winter, Scarlet Tanagers migrate to tropical Central and South America. Their winter range includes:

• Central America from southern Mexico to Panama
• Northern regions of South America such as Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador
• Amazon Basin of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia

During winter they inhabit tropical forests and woodlands.

Are Scarlet Tanagers Found in Arizona?

Scarlet Tanagers do occur in Arizona, but they are local and uncommon breeders found in only a few parts of the state.

Breeding Range in Arizona

In Arizona, Scarlet Tanagers are breeding residents primarily in two isolated regions of the state:

• Southeastern Arizona in montane forests of the Chiricahua, Santa Rita, and Huachuca Mountains
• Extreme southwestern Arizona in the Pinyon-Juniper woodlands of the Santa Catalina and Pinaleno Mountains

They may also breed very locally in other sky island mountain ranges like the Santa Ritas and Galiuros. Overall breeding populations are small and scattered.

Suitable Breeding Habitat

The few Scarlet Tanagers found breeding in Arizona occupy these habitats:

• Mixed conifer and deciduous forests in the Chiricahuas and other southeast mountain ranges above 5000 feet elevation
• Madrean Encinal woodlands dominated by Emory Oak, Arizona White Oak, Alligator Juniper found in southwest Arizona mountains

These habitats provide the mature woodlands with dense canopies that tanagers need for nesting and foraging. Diversity of tree species supplies the insects they prey on.

Migration Through Arizona

Scarlet Tanagers pass through Arizona more broadly during spring and fall migration on their way to and from their core breeding range to the east and wintering areas in Mexico and South America.

Migrants occur in low densities across much of the state from late April through May and again from late August into September. Migrants are most often reported in areas like:

• Southeastern mountains
• Mogollon Rim
• Central and northern Arizona along major rivers lined with large cottonwoods like the Verde and Salt Rivers

These migration hotspots provide scarce pockets of forest cover for traveling tanagers in otherwise arid regions.

Rare Vagrants

Outside the isolated breeding sites and migration routes, Scarlet Tanagers are considered rare and accidental anywhere in Arizona. But vagrants are occasionally detected during the breeding season in unlikely habitats like low deserts. These are likely dispersing individuals far outside the normal breeding range.

Scarlet Tanager Identification

Proper identification is key to confirming sightings of Scarlet Tanagers in Arizona. These tips will help identify them:

Visual Identification

• Bright red body and black wings of breeding male are distinctive
• Look for yellowish females with olive-colored wings
• Medium size similar to an American Robin
• Perched often high in canopy
• Flits through trees plucking insects

Songs and Calls

• Song is a hoarse “chip-burr”
• Call is a harsh “quit-quit”

Similar Species

• Western Tanager males have red heads but yellow bodies
• Summer Tanager males are entirely red with no black wings
• Pyrrhuloxia are gray with reddish accents and thick hooked bill
• Northern Cardinal males have red bodies but crest and black face

Study any potential Scarlet Tanager carefully and compare it against common species to confirm identification. Photography and recordings help document rare sightings.

Scarlet Tanager Conservation

Scarlet Tanagers face a number of conservation threats across North America:

• Forest fragmentation and loss of mature trees for nesting and foraging
• Increased nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds in disturbed habitats
• Climate change disrupting migration and habitat
• Insect declines may limit food supply

These threaten the limited Arizona breeding populations. Conservation measures can help the rare tanagers:

• Protection of breeding habitat in southeast and southwest mountain ranges
• Maintaining connectivity of forests for migration
• Control of cowbirds in key habitats
• Public education about scarcity in Arizona

With appropriate habitat conservation, Scarlet Tanagers may continue persisting as a local breeding species in Arizona’s sky island forests.

Reporting Arizona Scarlet Tanager Sightings

Due to the Scarlet Tanager’s rarity in Arizona, documentation of sightings is important for understanding their status and distribution in the state. Birders and biologists should report Scarlet Tanager detections in eBird to contribute to the knowledge base.

Photos and recordings are immensely useful for verifying rare sightings in eBird or directly to the Arizona Field Ornithologists’ Records Committee which tracks rare bird reports in the state.

Accurately reporting Scarlet Tanagers in Arizona provides data to guide future conservation efforts for this declining songbird.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Scarlet Tanagers are uncommon breeders found locally in southeastern and southwestern Arizona mountains. Suitable habitat consists of high elevation mixed conifer and oak forests. Scarlet Tanagers also migrate through the state in small numbers during spring and fall. Birders may encounter this striking red and black songbird occasionally during the summer months in native woodlands of the sky islands. Continued habitat conservation can help secure the future for breeding populations. Proper documentation and reporting of sightings aids monitoring of Arizona’s rare Scarlet Tanagers.