Adult male scarlet tanagers display spectacular bright red plumage. Their red bodies and heads are contrasted beautifully by black wings and tails.
Scarlet tanagers aren’t the only birds with red bodies and black wings, but they fit this basic description as well as any species. Unlike the blended earth tones of many similarly-sized birds, the coloring on scarlet tanagers is bright and distinct.
If you spotted a gorgeous red bird with black wings, it may have been a scarlet tanager. To help you know for sure, let’s learn all about this species: what they look like, where they live, and how they behave. Then, we’ll review a few other species that exhibit similar color patterns.
Scarlet Tanager Basic Facts
The scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) belongs to the Cardinalidae family, along with cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. The scientific classification for scarlet tanagers is as follows:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (birds)
- Order: Passeriformes (“perching birds”)
- Family: Cardinalidae
- Genus: Piranga
- Species: Piranga olivacea (scarlet tanager)
As their common name suggests, scarlet tanagers were previously classified as tanagers, i.e. as part of the Thraupidae family. However, scientists eventually determined that the tanagers occurring in North America are actually more related to cardinals than to the numerous tanager species of South America.
The American Ornithological Society reclassified the Piranga genus into the Cardinalidae family in 2009.
As a result, none of the “tanagers” that occur in the US are actually part of the tanager family anymore. This includes the scarlet, western, hepatic, and summer tanagers.
They’re still tanagers by name, but not by classification.
How can a bird be a tanager and also not be a tanager? Well, in English-speaking countries, every avian species has these two names:
- A common English name, e.g. scarlet tanager
- A scientific Latin name that designates genus and species, e.g. Piranga (genus) olivacea (species)
The entire Piranga genus was moved to a different family, but the genus itself did not gain or lose species or undergo a name change.
This type of mismatched naming happens from time to time when scientists reclassify species but leave their common names unchanged. For example, honey badgers are weasels, not badgers, and electric eels are fish, not eels.
To date, the reclassification of North America’s tanagers hasn’t affected the common names of any species.
What do Scarlet Tanager's Look Like?
Only males exhibit the red coloring that scarlet tanagers are named for. Males have entirely red bodies and heads with black wings and tails. Females have olive-yellow bodies and heads with dark greenish-gray wings and tails.
Male scarlet tanagers are most easily-confused with vermilion flycatchers. The most obvious difference between the two species involves the spread of black coloring.
While scarlet tanagers only have black on the wings and tails, vermilion flycatchers also have black backs and black around the eyes. An additional helpful difference is that vermilion flycatchers have thinner bills.
Scarlet Tanager Songs and Calls
Scarlet tanager’s songs are simple but lovely. The primary song is a repeated warble, similar to a robin’s song.
Shorter calls include whistling when arriving at the nest, soft chirps during courtship, and angry screeches at intruders.
Male and female scarlet tanagers sing similar tunes, with the male versions being slightly louder and more detailed. Mated pairs sing together while enjoying one another’s company during foraging and nest-building.
From nature cinematographer and sound recordist Lang Elliott, here’s an enjoyable example of a male scarlet tanager singing:
Scarlet Tanager Habitat and Distribution
Scarlet tanagers are migratory birds that cross the Gulf of Mexico two times per year.
Winters are spent in southern Central America (Panama) and northwestern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia). In the springtime, scarlet tanagers fly north to the American Northeast and Midwest. The migratory range includes parts of Central America, the Caribbean, and the American Southeast.
For breeding habitat, scarlet tanagers seek mature, expansive forests. Thus, they’re not typically long-term visitors or residents in urban or suburban areas. However, scarlet tanagers can be spotted in a broader range of settings during the spring migration.
Migrating scarlet tanagers occasionally visit backyard bird feeders for a quick snack of seeds, berries, or fruit.
Red Bird with Black Wings
If you’re trying to identify a bird that sports a red body and black wings, and you’ve ruled out the scarlet tanager, let’s review the other candidates.
Here are a few more species that occur in North America and display red bodies and dark wings. Note that the descriptions of plumage coloring mainly apply to males.
Species | Maximum Adult Length | Description |
Pine Grosbeak
| 10.0” | Large, stout finch with a rosy-red head and body Dark gray wings with white wing bars Occurs in the northern US, Alaska, and Canada |
Northern Cardinal
| 9.1” | Bright red body and head Darker wings, black throat and mask Distinctive pointy crest (top-of-the-head feathers) Widespread in Eastern and Central US, as far west as Arizona and southern California, and parts of Mexico |
Hepatic Tanager
| 8.0” | Brick-red all over with gray on the back, wings, and cheeks Occurs in parts of the Southwest, Mexico, and Central America, with a broader range in South America |
White-Winged Crossbill
| 6.7” | Bright pinkish-red head and body with dull white on the belly Black wings with white wingbars Occurs in the northern US, Alaska, and Canada |
Purple Finch
| 6.3” | Pinkish-red coloring on the head and breast blends into a brown back and wings and a white belly Occurs in the eastern US, West Coast, and Canada |
House Finch
| 5.5” | Rosy-red head and breast Streaked brown belly, tail, and wings Populations in every US state except Alaska; also widespread in Mexico |
Vermilion Flycatcher
| 5.5” | Brilliant red or orange-red body and head Dark gray-brown tail, wings, back, and mask Occurs in Mexico and nearby parts of the US; common in parts of western and northern South America |
James has always been an avid outdoorsman. Since a kid, he kept a journal of all the different birds and species he saw. Now he wants to share his passion with other birders with Happy Birding!