8 Surprising Facts About Tanagers

1. Flame-Colored Tanagers Are Rare in the U.S.

A flame-colored tanager was spotted in the U.S. for the first time in 1985. The species is still a rare visitor in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains. Here’s where to find flame-colored and hepatic tanagers.

Courtesy Peter Brannon

2. Tanagers Nest in Tall Trees

Look to the treetops for tanager birds and their nests. The birds construct homes on branches as high as 75 feet. Check out proven tips to attract nesting birds.

Courtesy Susan Forde

3. Look for Western Tanagers Up North

Western tanagers breed farther north than any other tanager. (Psst — check out 11 gorgeous photos of western tanagers.) Their northernmost range stretches into Canada’s Northwest Territories, where it’s so cold that they may stay only two months before heading south.

Meet the boreal birds of the northwoods.

4. Learn to ID North American Tanager Species

Five tanager species are found in North America: summer, scarlet, western, hepatic, and flame-colored. Some of the yellow tanagers look alike — here’s how tell them apart.

Courtesy Cassie Brooke

5. Only Bird With Completely Red Plumage

There are a few mostly red birds (northern cardinals, pine grosbeaks, vermillion flycatchers) in North America, but the male summer tanager is the only one with completely red coloring. Check out 9 birds that look like cardinals.

6. Western Birds Have Longer Bills and Tails

Summer tanagers in the west have 15 percent longer bills and tails than the ones in the east. Learn more about western birds and their eastern counterparts.

7. Tanagers Eat Berries

Attract scarlet tanagers to your backyard with berry-producing trees and shrubs. Six that will do the trick: raspberry, huckleberry, serviceberry, mulberry, strawberry, and chokeberry. Do scarlet tanagers eat oranges?

8. Tanagers Help Control Caterpillars

People once believed that a scarlet tanager could eat 2,000 spongy moth caterpillars in an hour. That’s false, but these birds do help control pests.