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Summer Tanager

Piranga rubra

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Cardinals and Allies
Summer Tanager, photographed by Patti Black

Photo: Patti Black · Unsplash · Unsplash License (licence)

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Call and song

About the Summer Tanager

Large tanager with a hefty bill. Adult males are completely red; immature males are dull yellow-olive with blotchy patches of red. Females are variable in color, ranging from pale dull yellow to brighter orange. Can be confused with female Scarlet Tanager; Summer has a longer, paler bill and less contrast between wing and body color. Also compare with dustier-looking, stouter-billed Hepatic Tanager. Breeds in mature forests, favoring mixed deciduous and pine in the southeastern U.S. and riparian corridors in the western U.S. and northern Mexico. Extensive winter range from Mexico to Bolivia, where it can be found in any wooded area. Often gives a short, descending rattle “pit-a-tuck.”

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 42 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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