Scarlet Tanager, I Presume
This past weekend a pair of Scarlet Tanagers visited the back garden. Like the Indigo Bunting, this is a bird that we see only once every year or so.
The male has a red body with black wings and tail, though this one looks more orange with a dash of yellow at his haunches. I think the difference is partly from the light and partly the bird itself. The female is a sort of pastel yellow.
Here’s a picture of the male that visited in 2017. You can see that he looks more scarlet and less orange than this year’s visitor.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website, Scarlet Tanagers like to stay up in the tree tops. During spring migration, though, it is possible to draw them to feeders with grape jelly. They also are attracted to small fruits like Serviceberries (Amelanchier) and Raspberries (Rubus), though insects are their primary food.
All About Birds says that there has been a modest decline in the Scarlet Tanager population since the 1960s, possibly due to habitat fragmentation. This is a bird of the forest interior, though they may visit parks and gardens in the spring and fall.
Scarlet Tanagers spend the winter in the northern part of South America. Even if they only visit once a year, we are happy to offer them some sugary sustenance to help them recover from their long flight.
gardeninacity 
What striking birds they are ..& amazing that the Scarlet Tanagers have come all the way from northern South America … they certainly deserve a sweet treat to boost their energy levels.
A lot of North American birds perform arduous migrations twice a year. Not true of any Australian birds?
We’ve got the Latham Snipe which travels between Japan and Australia. An amazing smallish bird.
Stunning colour on such lovely birds, I’m sure they are so relieved to find grape jelly waiting for them after their long journey.
That’s what I like to think.
Wonderful birds, what a privilege to have them in the garden.
We were definitely excited, though we haven’t seen him since. They just seem to drop by for a day.
Lucky you getting a Scarlet Tanager at your feeders. What a sight to behold.
I do feel lucky. Just wish they would stick around for a few more days.
I’ve not seen those, however I’ve gotten about 3 rose breasted Grosbeaks to hang around my house. Never have seen them here before.
Yes, we see a few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in May – stunning birds.
Rare, indeed.
Or at least, it is rare that these birds allow us to see them.
What beauties! This spring, I’ve had an indigo bunting visit my backyard, but no scarlet tanager. Wouldn’t it be grand to get a picture of the two side by side?
That would be amazing!
Such a treat! Do other birds make use of the grape jelly too?
We put the grape jelly out originally to attract Baltimore Orioles, and that has been very successful for a number of years. Gradually the other birds at the feeder have discovered it, and you should see our grape jelly bill! The scarlet tanagers are just the latest to the party.
This is the only bright red bird we see here (no cardinals for us) so that exciting flash of color always means Scarlet Tanager (unless, of course, someone has lost his/her parrot.) Lucky you to see them at your grape jelly feeder!
We have parrots, too, you know. Escaped green Monk Parrots that have gone wild. We see them in the garden sometimes, though not for a while.
We’ve all heard of Red-winged Black Birds and now we have Black-winged Red Birds!
Fall is the only time I’ve ever seen them here; I didn’t realize they went so far south for the winter. May the season be fruitful for them, and for you.
Thank you! Let’s hope their numbers don’t decline any further.
Lucky you! As far as I know I have never seen one of these in my yard although I am not able to monitor it much. I did have a Swainson’s Thrush last night, which was a new “yard” bird. It’s been a very rambunctious spring migration, I think.
Weird weather tends to have that effect, don’t you think?
I spend a lot of time in the forest interior but I’ve never seen one. Colorblindness might be why. I’ll have to go listen to their call.
They are usually up in the treetops.
This is another bird that’s seen here during migration by serious birders who go out looking, but I’ve never seen one. I suspect they might be found farther east or north, where the environment’s more to their liking. They’re beautiful birds, no question about that. I have to depend on the cardinals for brilliant color.
Cardinals are no slouches when it comes to color.
Lovely birds. I had a pair of mourning doves mating in the garden yesterday. It has been a few years since I’ve seen any around here, but it appears they have a nest in an old pine behind the house.
We see a fair number of mourning doves, especially when I put out safflower or sunflower seed.
So lovely. Interesting how the coloration shifted toward orange. So wonder if my wild raspberries will attract any tanagers.
They very well might.
What stunningly beautiful birds! How lucky you are that they stop over for a visit.xxx
Yes, we do feel lucky to have them stop by.