Scarlet Tanager

songbirds · bright colors · North American birds · deciduous forests

Dazzling red plumage. Male scarlet tanagers are bright red with black wings and tails, making them one of the most eye-catching birds in North American forests. The females are much more yellowish-green, which helps them stay hidden while nesting.

Lives in thick woodlands. Scarlet tanagers love dense deciduous forests and have also adapted to living in suburbs where there are plenty of trees. They spend their time high up in the canopy, hopping between branches as they hunt for insects.

Beautiful singer. These birds are known for their lovely singing voices, with a song that sounds a bit like a robin's but more clear and melodious. They use their songs to communicate with each other and claim their territory.

Changed bird families. For a long time, scientists thought scarlet tanagers belonged to the tanager family, but in 2009 they discovered these birds were actually closer relatives to cardinals. This reclassification happened because of research into their genetics and physical features.

Different from cardinals. While scarlet tanagers are now classified with cardinals, they don't have the thick, cone-shaped bill that most cardinals use to crack open seeds. Instead, they have thinner bills suited for catching insects.