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Scarlet Tanager

This Scarlet Tanager was photographed from a great distance. It was located very high in a large tree, despite that you can hear it song very clearly. The scarlet tanager is one of those birds that seems like it was painted with bold, unapologetic strokes straight from an artist’s palette. During the breeding season, the male is cloaked in a blazing, almost surreal crimson red with stark black wings and tail—an audacious contrast that makes it stand out like a flame in the forest canopy. This brilliant coloring is not just for show; it plays a role in courtship and territorial signaling, though it also comes at the cost of being more visible to predators. In late summer, the male molts into a more subdued olive-yellow plumage, blending in more easily during migration and wintering in South America. Scarlet tanagers breed in deciduous forests across the eastern United States, including woodlands throughout Indiana, and prefer large tracts of mature forest. Their song—a hoarse, burry series of phrases—often gives away their presence before their color does, especially since they tend to stay high in the canopy, weaving between leaves and branches. Despite their vibrant appearance, they can be surprisingly difficult to spot, and many birders describe the moment of seeing one as almost electric. What’s especially fascinating is the structural nature of that red coloration. It isn’t simply pigment deposited into the feathers—it’s influenced by carotenoids from their diet, which are processed and modified internally. That means a male’s scarlet plumage is a sign not just of genetic quality but also of dietary success and physiological health, making it a kind of living canvas of survival and beauty. Scarlet tanagers hold their own among North America’s most dazzling birds, yet they stand apart in fascinating ways. Their fiery breeding plumage—male scarlet body with black wings and tail—is as bold as it gets. But unlike birds with iridescent feathers like indigo buntings or hummingbirds, which shimmer depending on light angle due to microscopic feather structures, the scarlet tanager’s red is pigment-based, resulting in a deep, velvety vibrance that almost glows even in the shade of the forest canopy. Compared to the American goldfinch, which flaunts a bright lemon-yellow hue during summer, or the brilliant blue of an eastern bluebird, tanagers carry a more dramatic, contrast-heavy palette. And while male wood warblers like the Blackburnian or chestnut-sided warbler are richly patterned and vividly marked, they’re generally smaller and often flashier in detail rather than boldness. The tanager feels like a bold statement in broad strokes, whereas warblers and buntings are more like intricate miniatures. It’s also worth noting that scarlet tanagers aren’t colorful all year—outside the breeding season, they molt into a more camouflaged olive-yellow that resembles females and first-year birds. This seasonal transformation is relatively rare among songbirds with such vibrant coloration, adding a dynamic layer to their visual story.