Summer Tanager

Piranga rubra

birdwatching in bosque de niebla

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Piranga rubra
  • Family: Cardinalidae
  • Known Nicknames: Bee Bird
  • Average Length: 15–18 cm / 5.9–7.1 in
  • Average Weight: 23–31 g / 0.8–1.1 oz
  • Wingspan: 28–30 cm / 11–11.8 in
  • Key Feature: Solid rose-red plumage in adult males; stout, pale, blunt-tipped bill
  • Primary Diet: Insectivore (specializing in bees and wasps), Frugivore
  • Range: Breeds in Southern US and Northern Mexico; winters in Central America and Northern South America
  • Habitat: Open deciduous forests, oak-pine woodlands, and riparian corridors
  • Social Structure: Solitary or paired during breeding; occasionally joins mixed-species flocks in winter
  • Nesting/Breeding: Shallow cup nest on a horizontal tree branch
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The Summer Tanager (*Piranga rubra*) is a striking Neotropical songbird distinguished as the only completely red bird in North America, with adult males sporting a vibrant, uniform rose-red plumage that lacks the black wings of their scarlet cousins. In contrast, females and immatures display a warm mustard-yellow or olive-green hue, allowing them to blend seamlessly into the leafy canopies of open oak and pine woodlands. Beyond its brilliant coloration, this species is a specialized "bee and wasp hunter," possessing the remarkable skill of catching stinging insects mid-air and expertly rubbing them against branches to remove their stingers before consumption. Often first detected by its distinctive "picky-tuck-tuck" call or its melodic, robin-like song, the Summer Tanager is a masterful aerialist that brings both a flash of tropical brilliance and a unique predatory prowess to the summer landscapes of the southern and eastern United States.

Habitats & Distribution

During the breeding season, this species primarily inhabits open deciduous forests, oak-pine woodlands, and riparian corridors, showing a distinct preference for forest edges and canopy gaps. In its wintering grounds, it occupies a variety of tropical environments including rainforest edges, shaded coffee plantations, and suburban gardens. These birds are typically found high in the canopy where they can easily forage for insects and fruit.

The geographical range spans the southern and eastern United States, reaching as far north as Iowa and Pennsylvania, and extending west into the riparian areas of the desert Southwest. As a long-distance migrant, it travels south to spend the winter months in a vast region stretching from central Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, reaching as far as Peru and Bolivia.

Behaviours & Reproduction

Primarily solitary or found in monogamous pairs during the breeding season, these birds are highly territorial, with males using persistent, melodic songs to claim their space. They exhibit a unique predatory behavior by specializing in hunting bees and wasps; they capture them in flight and vigorously rub the insects against branches to remove their stingers before consumption. Outside of the breeding season, they remain largely solitary, though they may occasionally join mixed-species foraging flocks in their wintering habitats.

During courtship, males engage in "mate feeding," offering insects to females to strengthen the pair bond. The female constructs a shallow, cup-shaped nest on a horizontal branch, usually far from the trunk, where she incubates a clutch of three to four eggs. While the female handles all incubation duties, the male frequently brings her food. Once the nestlings hatch, both parents work together to provide them with a high-protein diet of insects until they fledge approximately ten days later.

Diet

The Summer Tanager is primarily an insectivore with a highly specialized preference for bees and wasps, earning it a reputation as a "bee-eater." When hunting these stinging insects, the bird typically captures them in mid-air and carries them back to a perch, where it kills the prey by smashing it against a branch and then meticulously rubs the insect’s abdomen against the bark to remove the venomous stinger before consumption. Beyond this specialized behavior, they also consume a variety of other invertebrates like beetles, cicadas, and spiders, and they are known to tear open wasp nests to feed on the protein-rich larvae inside. During the late summer and on their wintering grounds in Central and South America, their diet shifts to include more plant matter, specifically small fruits and berries such as blackberries, mulberries, and pokeberries.

Colors

Adult males are entirely bright rose-red, lacking black markings on their wings or tail, making them the only completely red birds in North America. In contrast, females and juveniles feature mustard-yellow or olive-green plumage that provides effective camouflage within leafy forest canopies. Both sexes possess stout, pale bills, while maturing males often display a unique, blotchy patchwork of red and yellow during their first spring molt.

Fun Facts

These specialized hunters are nicknamed "bee birds" for their daring diet of bees and wasps, which they snatch mid-air before skillfully rubbing them against branches to remove the stingers and venom sacs. While the adult male is the only entirely red bird in North America, young males often display a striking "patchwork" plumage of mottled yellow and red during their first spring. Despite their tropical appearance, their song is famously described as sounding like a robin with a sore throat, frequently punctuated by a distinctive, clicking "pi-tuck" call.