Description
In the spring and early summer, the male is scarlet, with black wings and tail. During the late summer and fall, splotchy green is evident within the red as the molt to the yellow-green winter plumage begins. Measurements: length 17 cm, mass 23.5-33 g. The female is dull greenish above with yellowish below. Wings are dark brownish to blackish. The immature male resembles the adult female, but is brighter below, with brownish primaries that are retained throughout the first summer. Wing coverts are black. Fledglings are olive green above with dark white streaks below. Wings are dark brownish or blackish. Some show faint wing bars. An illustration appears in NGS (1987).
NEST: a small, loose, flat saucer-shaped nest of twigs, rootlets, coarse grass, and weed stems. Inside lined with finer grasses, weed stems, or pine needles. Eggs sometimes can be seen through the bottom.
EGGS: pale blue to pale green with irregularly dotted, spotted, blotched browns. These markings are often concentrated at the large end. Sources for this section are Senesac (1993), Isler and Isler (1987), Terres (1980), Harrison (1975), Prescott (1965), and Bent (1958).
Diagnostic Characteristics
No other North American bird has the male's color combination (Terres 1980). Female scarlet and summer (P. RUBRA) tanagers are distinguished by the scarlet's yellow-green plumage compared to the summer's orange-yellow. The female scarlet also has a smaller, darker bill (Terres 1980). Where ranges of the summer and scarlet tanagers overlap, positive identification of similar nest and eggs should not be made until a bird is seen (Harrison 1975).
Habitat
Scarlet tanagers breed in deciduous forest and mature deciduous woodland, including deciduous and mixed swamp and floodplain forests and rich moist upland forests, often where oaks predominate (Bushman and Therres 1988), sometimes in wooded parks, orchards, and large shade trees of suburbs (Isler and Isler 1987, Senesac 1993), less often in mixed deciduous-coniferous forest (Hamel et al. 1982, Hamel 1992). They are most common in areas with a relatively closed canopy, a dense understory with a high diversity of shrubs, and scanty ground cover, and are able to breed successfully in relatively small patches of forest (Bushman and Therres 1988). Breeding occurs in various forest stages but is most frequent in mature woods (according to some sources, prefers pole stands). In New England, nesting occurs mainly in sawtimber hardwoods. Nests are placed in trees (commonly oaks), usually well out on limbs, 2-23 meters above ground. Typical nest site characteristics: 1) the nest is placed in a leaf cluster, or with at least several leaves shading the nest, 2) the nest is placed on a nearly horizontal tree branch, 3) there is a clear unobstructed view of the ground from the nest, and 4) there are flyways from adjacent trees to the nest (Senesac 1993).
During the northern winter, scarlet tanagers inhabit forest canopies and edges, including tall second growth (Isler and Isler 1987). Migrants may occur in more open habitats, such as woodlands, parks, and gardens, as well as forests (Isler and Isler 1987).
Ecology
In migration, this usually solitary tanager sometimes is found in loosely associated groups and may join mixed-species flocks. Summer home ranges often relatively large for a forest passerine; territory size varies a great deal, reported sizes 0.8 to 12.5 hectares (summarized in Mowbray 1999).
Reproduction
Males arrive in breeding areas in April and May, usually several days before the female, and establish a territory by singing almost continuously from conspicuous perches high in the canopy of mature trees. Territorial boundaries are not rigid and males frequently dispute, especially when the female is present (Isler and Isler 1987, Prescott 1965). Once paired, the male abandons the high perch. The female chooses the nest site and builds the nest alone (Isler and Isler 1987). The nest is built in 2-7 days.
In the mid-Atlantic states, nesting extends from early May to early August, with a peak from late May to mid-July (Bushman and Therres 1988). Eggs are laid mostly in May-June. Clutch size is 3-5 (usually 4). Incubation, by female, lasts 12-14 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at 9-15 days, usually 14-15 days after hatching. The nestlings are brooded by the female for about 3 days after they hatch. During this time both parents feed the young. Fledged young are attended by adult for up to 2 weeks after fledging. Nests sometimes contain young into August. It is thought that only one brood is raised per season (Senesac 1993, Isler and Isler 1987, Prescott 1965).
During the breeding season, females sing a song that is similar to that of the males, and both males and females also produce the "chic-burr" call.