What birds look like a western tanager?

The western tanager is a medium-sized songbird found in western North America. With its bright red head and yellow body, the western tanager is one of the most colorful birds found in its range. This article will examine the key physical features that help identify the western tanager and differentiate it from similar species. We’ll also explore the western tanager’s habitat, diet, behavior, breeding, and migration patterns. Read on to learn more about what this striking songbird looks like!

Appearance

The most distinguishing feature of the western tanager is the male’s bright red head, face, and throat contrasting with its yellow body. This is a medium-sized songbird, measuring 6.7-7.5 in (17-19 cm) in length with a wingspan around 12 in (30 cm).

Key identifying features of the western tanager include:

• Bright red head, throat, and face
• Yellow underside and rump
• Olive green back and wings
• Thick pointed bill that is darker on top
• Dark wings and tail
• White wing bars
• Yellowish legs and feet

Females are duller in coloration. They have gray heads, yellow-green bodies, and some weak wing bars. Immature western tanagers resemble females but with speckled throats.

Similar Species

The western tanager’s striking plumage makes it relatively easy to identify. However, there are some similar species that could potentially be confused:

• Summer tanager – Very similar red head and yellow body plumage as the western tanager. However, summer tanagers have rose red bills compared to the western tanager’s thick dark bill. Summer tanagers are found in southeastern parts of North America.
• Scarlet tanager – Also has a red head but with black wings and tail contrasting with its yellow body. Scarlet tanagers lack wing bars and are found in eastern North America.
• Northern cardinal – Male northern cardinals can appear somewhat similar with their red plumage but they have conspicuous crests on their heads and reddish bills. Females are buff brown overall.
• Hepatic tanager – Another reddish songbird of the west but hepatic tanagers have darker brick red plumage on their heads. They lack yellow on their undersides.

Paying attention to plumage patterns, bill color, geographic range, and behavior helps properly identify the western tanager. It is the only species in its range that combines a bright red head with a yellow body and dark wings.

Habitat and Range

The western tanager breeds in open coniferous forests across much of western North America. Its breeding range extends from southeast Alaska through western Canada down to Baja California, and east to the western Great Plains.

Some key details about the western tanager’s breeding habitat include:

• Favors mature coniferous forests, especially ponderosa pine
• Also found in mixed forests containing aspens, oaks, firs, and other trees
• Prefers forest clearings, forest edges, and semi-open areas
• Found at elevations up to 10,000 ft in mountain ranges
• Nests high up in tall conifers

During the winter, western tanagers migrate to tropical regions of Central America and northern South America. Their wintering grounds are primarily broadleaf forests and woodlands such as tropical oak forests from Mexico to Venezuela.

Range Map

Diet

The western tanager is omnivorous, feeding on both insects and fruit. Its diet varies depending on seasonal availability. Key food sources include:

• Insects – bees, wasps, ants, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars
• Fruit – wild berries, fruits from trees and shrubs
• Seeds
• Nectar

The tanager often forages higher up in trees, sometimes flying out from an outer branch to catch insects in mid-air. It uses its pointed bill to remove stinging insects from nests or fruit.

During fall and winter, the western tanager relies more heavily on fruit. Flocks converge on fruiting trees like mulberries, pepperberries, and introduced species like Russian olive. At higher elevations, it eats fruits like elderberries and chokecherries. Tanagers are important seed dispersers for many of these plants.

Foraging Habits

Behavior and Breeding

Western tanagers are active and energetic songbirds. They can be seen hopping along branches picking at food or making short flights to catch insects. Some key behavior notes:

• Usually forage high in the canopy
• Males sing a hoarse, robin-like song from high exposed perches
• Nest solitarily, not in colonies
• Aggressive in defending nesting territories
• Females build an open cup nest out of twigs and bark
• Nest high in a conifer, 10-80 ft above ground
• Clutch size is 3-5 eggs
• Incubation lasts about 2 weeks

Both the male and female western tanager help feed the young. The nestlings fledge after 17 days but remain dependent on the parents for a couple more weeks. By late summer, western tanagers begin to migrate south in small, loose flocks.

Nesting Facts

Migration

The western tanager has one of the longest migrations of any North American songbird in relation to its body size. Every year, this species travels between its breeding grounds in western North America to wintering grounds in Central and South America.

Some key facts about the western tanager’s migration:

• Migrates at night
• Migrations takes place over several months from August-November and March-May
• Travels in loose flocks, often with other songbird species
• Migration route tends to follow mountains and coastlines
• One way migration distances range from 1,800 – 4,800 miles
• Young birds migrate separately from adults and take longer routes

Migration allows western tanagers to take advantage of seasonal food supplies and suitable breeding habitat. It is an perilous journey that requires extensive energy reserves. Stopover habitats where the birds can rest and feed are crucial along the migration route. Loss of these habitats has caused some tanager populations to decline. Protecting migration corridors through international cooperation is key to conserving the species.

One-Way Migration Distances

Conservation Status

The western tanager has a large range and a global population estimated at 5.5 million birds. Although still common, some regional populations have seen declines, particularly in coastal southwest British Columbia.

The IUCN Red List categorizes the western tanager as a species of Least Concern. However, they do face threats such as:

• Habitat loss in breeding and wintering grounds
• Forest fragmentation
• Increased predation from birds like jays and crows
• Collisions with human structures during migration

Conservation measures that could help western tanager populations include:

• Protecting intact mature and old growth forests
• Maintaining habitat connectivity
• Enforcing migratory bird protections
• Monitoring population trends
• Educating the public about songbird conservation

With appropriate habitat and protections, the colorful western tanager will hopefully continue brightening the forests of North America for years to come. This striking songbird plays an important role in its ecosystem and serves as a flagship species representing the migratory birds of western forests.

Conclusion

The western tanager’s vibrant plumage makes it one of the most eye-catching birds of North American forests. Its bright red head and yellow body provide a splash of color as the tanager forages for insects and fruit. This medium-sized songbird breeds in mature coniferous forests across the West before embarking on an epic migration to wintering grounds in Central and South America. The western tanager can be identified by its distinctive appearance, upland forest habitat, and mix of fruit and insect diet. Protecting breeding habitats and migratory corridors will be important conservation steps for maintaining healthy populations of the western tanager into the future. Though still common, increased threats to both its summer and winter homes require monitoring and habitat management to ensure the continued survival of this iconic western songbird.