The Western tanager is a medium-sized songbird found in western North America. Its scientific name is Piranga ludoviciana. In the opening paragraphs, I will provide quick answers to key questions about where these colorful birds live.
Quick Facts
The Western tanager breeds in open coniferous forests across western North America. Its breeding range extends from southeastern Alaska through western Canada to the western United States. It winters primarily in central and western Mexico.
The Western tanager is a migratory bird. It spends its summers breeding in forests across the western half of North America. Then it migrates in the fall to overwinter in Mexico and Central America before returning north in the spring.
Within its breeding range, the Western tanager can be found in mountainous regions and drier open forests and woodlands. It prefers areas with large conifers for nesting and foraging.
During migration, the Western tanager can be seen throughout the western half of the United States and Mexico. It migrates through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas when traveling between its breeding and wintering grounds.
On its wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America, the Western tanager inhabits tropical forests, woodlands, plantations, and parks. The highest densities occur along the Pacific slope of Mexico.
Breeding Range
The Western tanager breeds across western North America from southeast Alaska through western Canada to Baja California, New Mexico, and western Texas. Its breeding range centers on the mountainous regions of the western United States and Canada.
In Alaska, the tanager breeds primarily in the southeastern part of the state in coastal mountain ranges. Its range extends along the coast from the Alaska Peninsula north to Yakutat Bay and inland to the Wrangell Mountains.
In Canada, the Western tanager breeds in British Columbia, Alberta, and the southern Yukon. It is found in the mountain ranges along the British Columbia coast and throughout the interior plateau. The tanager also breeds in the foothills and mountains of southwestern Alberta.
In the western United States, the tanager breeds throughout the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges from Washington to California. It is also common in the Rockies from Idaho and Montana south to New Mexico and in coastal ranges in California and Oregon.
Along the Pacific Coast, the Western tanager’s breeding range stretches from southeast Alaska through British Columbia to Baja California in Mexico. Inland, it breeds east to the Rocky Mountains and south to New Mexico and Arizona.
Key Breeding Areas
Some key areas for breeding Western tanagers include:
- Cascade Mountains in Washington, Oregon, and California
- Sierra Nevada range in California and Nevada
- Northern and central Rockies in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
- Southern Rockies in Colorado and New Mexico
- Pacific ranges in California and Oregon
- British Columbia Coast Mountains and interior plateau
- Southwestern Alberta foothills
- Southeastern Alaska coastal and interior mountains
Wintering Range
The Western tanager winters primarily in western and central Mexico. Its winter range extends from southern Sonora and Chihuahua south through coastal regions to Oaxaca. Smaller numbers winter in highlands from Jalisco to Guerrero.
Tanagers are also common in winter along both slopes of Central America. On the Pacific slope, they are found from southwestern Guatemala through El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica to western Panama. On the Caribbean slope, they occur mainly in Costa Rica and western Panama.
In the United States, small numbers of Western tanagers overwinter in southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southwestern Texas. Vagrants may occasionally winter as far north as California, Louisiana, and Georgia.
Key Wintering Areas
Prime wintering areas for the Western tanager include:
- Pacific slope of Mexico from Sonora to Oaxaca
- Caribbean slope of Central America, especially in Costa Rica
- Pacific slope of Central America from Guatemala to Panama
- Highlands of western Mexico
- Southeastern Arizona and southwestern Texas
The map below shows the year-round range of the Western tanager.
Source: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
Habitat
The Western tanager nests in open coniferous forests and wooded areas in mountainous regions of western North America. It prefers areas with a mix of large trees and open space.
On its breeding grounds, the tanager is often associated with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests. It also inhabits mixed woodlands with other conifers like grand fir, western larch, lodgepole pine, and western hemlock. Deciduous trees like quaking aspen, black cottonwood, and willow are sometimes present.
The tanager favors mature, open canopy forests that allow light to penetrate to lower levels. Nesting and foraging often take place in tall, widely spaced trees. Forest openings, forest edges near natural clearings, and riparian areas provide ideal habitat.
At higher elevations, the Western tanager inhabits subalpine fir forests and lower elevation ponderosa pine forests. On migration and in winter, it occupies a greater variety of wooded habitats, including oak woodlands, pine-oak forests, parks, and shade trees.
Breeding Habitat Types
- Ponderosa pine forests
- Douglas fir forests
- Mixed conifer forests
- Lodgepole pine woodlands
- Subalpine fir forests
- Quaking aspen groves
- Cottonwood and willow riparian woodlands
Winter Habitat Types
- Tropical forests
- Pine-oak woodlands
- Mountain forests
- Shade trees in parks and gardens
- Forest edges and clearings
Territory and Nesting
The breeding season for Western tanagers lasts from late May through early August. After arriving on the breeding grounds, males establish nesting territories and attract mates with their song.
Western tanagers are not colonial nesters, but nesting territories may occasionally overlap at the edges. The size of the territory is variable based on habitat quality and food availability. In one Oregon study, average territory size was about 6 acres.
Nests are typically placed high up in the canopy of a large conifer tree, usually on a horizontal branch. Both males and females participate in nest building using twigs, rootlets, and bark strips. The nest is an open cup built 10 to 80 feet above ground.
Clutch size is usually 3 to 5 eggs. Only the female incubates the eggs for about 12 to 14 days. Both parents feed the young nestlings a diet of insects. Nestlings fledge at 14 to 17 days old.
Pairs may raise one or two broods per season. Nests are sometimes parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds, with the tanagers raising the cowbird chick along with their own young.
Nesting Facts
- Nest height: 10 to 80 feet high
- Nest tree: large conifer
- Nest: open cup of twigs, bark
- Clutch size: 3 to 5 eggs
- Incubation period: 12 to 14 days
- Nestling period: 14 to 17 days
Diet
The diet of the Western tanager consists mainly of insects and fruit. Its bill shape is intermediate between a typical seed-eating finch and an insect-eating warbler.
During the breeding season, the tanager feeds predominantly on insects like bees, wasps, ants, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, and spiders. Caterpillars are an especially important food source when feeding nestlings.
In migration and winter, the Western tanager switches to a more fruit-heavy diet. Favored fruits include elderberries, juniper berries, wild cherries, and grapes. The tanager is able to swallow small fruits whole.
In all seasons, the tanager supplements its diet with some seeds, buds, sap, and nectar. It sometimes catches insects by hovering and gleans them from foliage. The tanager typically forages higher in trees, making short flights out from branches to capture prey.
Key Foods
Breeding Season | Migration & Winter |
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Migration
The Western tanager is a long-distance migratory bird. It breeds across western North America and migrates to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. Migration occurs in spring from March to May and in fall from August to October.
In spring, males tend to arrive on the breeding grounds first and establish territories. Females follow up to 2 weeks later. In fall, adults and juveniles migrate south at the same time in loose flocks.
Western tanagers are daytime migrants that travel mainly during daylight hours. They migrate individually or in small loose flocks. Migration routes often follow mountain ranges, with overnight stopovers in forested areas.
The tanager’s migration route forms a loop. In spring, they move northward inland through the Great Basin and Central Rockies to breeding areas. In fall, they migrate south along the Pacific Coast into Mexico and Central America.
Migrating and wintering tanagers mix with other songbirds like warblers, vireos, grosbeaks, and orioles. Peak numbers pass through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in May and September. Rare vagrants may reach the East Coast in fall.
Migration Facts
- Migrates individually or in small flocks
- Daytime migrant
- Spring route through Great Basin and Rockies
- Fall route along Pacific Coast
- Peaks in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas in May and September
Conservation Status
The Western tanager has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5.3 million. Population trends are stable over the long term according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
The tanager is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its large and stable population. Its breeding habitat is widespread and does not appear to be declining in a way that would threatening the overall population.
However, local declines have occurred in some areas where mature coniferous forests have been logged. Fragmentation of breeding habitat may reduce nesting success. Warmer temperatures from climate change could also shift the distribution of conifer forests over the long term.
To help conserve Western tanager populations, key recommendations include protecting large tracts of coniferous breeding habitat, maintaining connectivity between forest fragments, and allowing wildfires to create openings that promote regeneration.
Conservation Overview
- IUCN status: Least Concern
- Global population: 5.3 million
- Population trend: Stable
- Threats: habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change
- Conservation needs: preserve breeding habitat, allow natural wildfire cycles
Fun Facts
- The Western tanager’s bright red head and yellow body make it one of the most colorful tanagers in North America.
- Its scientific name Piranga means “red bird” in the Tupi Indian language of eastern Brazil.
- Males have brighter plumage than females and may have an orange hue mixed with the yellow color.
- The tanager has a musical, robin-like song made up of hoarse notes and whistles.
- Nestlings can consume up to 750 caterpillars per day brought to them by their parents.
- Western tanagers hybridize with other tanager species where their ranges overlap.
- Their bills have a hook at the tip to help grasp insects and pick fruit.
- They rubbed crushed insects on their feathers which may help repel parasites.
- Tanager numbers appear to fluctuate in cycles every few years for unknown reasons.
- They are named for their tanager family, not for having tan plumage.
Conclusion
In summary, the Western tanager is a colorful songbird that breeds in open coniferous forests across western North America. It migrates long distances to winter in Mexico and Central America. The tanager has a large global population that is currently stable. Conservation efforts should focus on preserving its breeding habitat in mature mountain forests. This migratory songbird serves as an iconic symbol of the western mountains where it spends its summers nesting and foraging among the trees.