Scarlet Tanager

Exhibits a striking seasonal sexual dimorphism and is a medium-sized member of the passerine group. Breeding males are characterized by their brilliant scarlet-red plumage which stands in sharp contrast to their pitch-black wings and tail. Females, conversely, are much more cryptically colored, possessing an olive-green upper body and a dull yellowish underbelly, with olive-brown wings. During the post-breeding molt in late summer, males shed their red feathers for an olive-green coat similar to that of the females, though they can still be identified by their dark black wings. The bill is pale, stocky, and slightly swollen, typical of an omnivorous canopy feeder. Adult individuals measure between 16 and 19 centimeters in length, feature a wingspan of 25 to 30 centimeters, and weigh approximately 23 to 38 grams.

Geographical distribution: Breeds throughout the mature temperate forests of eastern North America, extending from southeastern Canada down through the eastern and central regions of the United States. In late summer and early autumn, it undertakes a demanding long-distance migration across the Gulf of Mexico and Central America, traveling to its wintering grounds situated in northwestern South America, where it primarily settles along the eastern slopes of the Andean mountains in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Bolivia.

Habitat: During the breeding season, it prefers large, contiguous tracts of deciduous and mixed forests, showing a strong preference for mature broadleaf trees, particularly oaks (Quercus spp.) and beeches. It generally avoids heavily fragmented woodlands for nesting. On migration, it utilizes a broader range of wooded environments, including city parks, residential gardens, and secondary growth forests. Its wintering habitat consists of wet sub-montane tropical forests and forest edges along the Andes, typically at elevations ranging from 800 to 2000 meters above sea level.

Feeding: Maintains an omnivorous diet that shifts dynamically with seasonal availability. During the spring and summer breeding periods, it is heavily insectivorous, preying on a wide array of invertebrates including beetles, caterpillars, wasps, wild bees, and spiders. Foraging occurs high in the canopy where it gleans insects from leaf surfaces or captures them mid-air through sallying flights. During autumn migration and throughout the winter, its diet incorporates a large proportion of wild fruits and berries, including mulberries, blackberries, and elderberries, which provide crucial fat reserves.

Behavior: Is a secretive and primarily arboreal species, spending most of its time foraging in the dense upper canopy of tall trees, which often makes it difficult to spot despite the male´s vivid coloration. It is solitary and highly territorial during the nesting phase, but during migration and in its wintering quarters, it frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks. The male´s song is a series of buzzy, raspy carols reminiscent of an American Robin´s song, while its most common call is a distinctive, dry, two-syllable "chip-burr" sound.

Nesting: Exhibits a socially monogamous mating system for each breeding cycle. The female is solely responsible for building a shallow, relatively flimsy cup-shaped nest made of rootlets, twigs, bark strips, and weeds. The nest is typically placed far out on a horizontal branch of a deciduous tree, at heights ranging from 4 to 23 meters above the ground. The female lays a clutch of 3 to 5 pale blue-green eggs decorated with brown speckles. She incubates the eggs alone for 12 to 14 days. After hatching, both parents actively provision the altricial young, which typically fledge and leave the nest within 9 to 15 days. Nesting success is often impacted by brood parasitism from the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater).

Conservation status: Is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as its overall population is large and currently stable. However, the species faces ongoing threats from forest fragmentation in its northern breeding grounds, which increases exposure to nest predators and brood parasites, as well as the loss of primary sub-montane forest habitats due to agricultural expansion in its South American wintering range.