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Piranga rubra

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Summer Tanager

G5Secure Found in 51 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102430
Element CodeABPBX45030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCardinalidae
GenusPiranga
Other Common Names
Sanhaço-Vermelho (PT) summer tanager (EN) Tángara Roja, Piranga (ES) Tangara vermillon (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Mitochondrial genetic data from several studies (Burns 1997; Burns et al. 2002, 2003; Klicka et al. 2000, 2007) provide strong evidence that this genus, previously placed in the Thraupidae, is a member of the Cardinalidae.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-01-08
Change Date1996-12-03
Edition Date2025-01-08
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species is widespread across the breeding in North America and non-breeding range in Latin America, and the population is increasing.
Range Extent Comments
This species breeds in much of the southern North America. It breeds from New Jersey west to Iowa, south to Florida and west along the southern states of the United States to southeastern California and extending south into México as far as Durango and Zapatecas (Robinson 2020). The non-breeding range extends from Sonora and Nuevo León, México south through Central America, spreading east into the northern Amazon Basin and southwest along the Andes to western Bolivia in South America (Ridgely and Tudor 1989, Robinson 2020).
Occurrences Comments
There are many occurrences throughout the range (Fink et al. 2023).
Threat Impact Comments
Collisions with buildings could be a significant source of mortality during migration (Loss et al. 2014, Kornreich et al. 2024).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

BREEDING: Deciduous woods (often near gaps and edges) in eastern U.S., stands of oaks, pines, and hickories in Southeast, and willows and cottonwoods at low elevations along streams and in canyons in Southwest (Robinson 1996). Also in parks. Nests in trees, usually well out on horizontal lower branch, 3-11 m above ground (Harrison 1978). NON-BREEDING: In migration and winter in various forest, woodland, and scrub habitats, and in scattered trees in clearings and pastures; in South America, more numerous in mountains than in lowlands (Hilty and Brown 1986, Ridgely and Tudor 1989).

Ecology

Solitary and territorial in winter (Rappole and Warner 1980), though may join mixed flocks (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Eggs laid mostly May-June. Clutch size three to five (usually four). Incubation 12 days, young leave nest eight to ten days after hatching, young tended by both parents for two to four weeks after fledging (Robinson 1996).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN1M
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS1MYes
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS4B,S5NYes
MichiganSNRNYes
MinnesotaSNAYes
ArizonaS4Yes
FloridaSNRBYes
ArkansasS5BYes
KansasS4BYes
West VirginiaS3BYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MississippiS5BYes
ColoradoSNAYes
CaliforniaS1Yes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
MarylandS4BYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
DelawareS3BYes
UtahS1BYes
IndianaS4BYes
MassachusettsS1NYes
AlabamaS5BYes
MissouriSNRBYes
District of ColumbiaS1B,S1NYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
South DakotaSNAYes
IllinoisS5Yes
OhioS5Yes
TennesseeS4Yes
LouisianaS5BYes
KentuckyS5BYes
NevadaS3BYes
TexasS5BYes
VirginiaS5Yes
IowaS3B,S3NYes
NebraskaS3Yes
North CarolinaS5BYes
PennsylvaniaS1B,S2MYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areasLarge - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (51)
Arizona (16)
AreaForestAcres
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Cimarron HillsCoconino National Forest5,303
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Lime CreekTonto National Forest42,568
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Pine Mountain Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest6,518
Santa RitaCoronado National Forest6,078
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Romero WsrCoronado National Forest150
Walker MountainCoconino National Forest6,382
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
Arkansas (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Indian CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,855
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
California (5)
AreaForestAcres
Birch CreekInyo National Forest28,816
Cucamonga CSan Bernardino National Forest4,106
Domeland Add.Sequoia National Forest3,046
Granite PeakSan Bernardino National Forest450
San DimasAngeles National Forest7,160
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
East PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest145,082
New Mexico (12)
AreaForestAcres
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
Capitan MountainsLincoln National Forest14,069
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
Ortega PeakLincoln National Forest11,545
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
References (48)
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