Photo: Mike's Birds / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 19 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) is a member of the Cardinalidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 29.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Cardinalidae Cardinals & Allies
- Genus Piranga
- Species rubra
Quick facts
- Weight
- 29.1 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cardinalidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Summer Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Summer Tanager is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) belongs to the Cardinalidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA s USA and n Mexico.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 29.1 g, with a wing length of about 9.2 cm and a tail of around 7.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 3.3 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Summer Tanager?
The Summer Tanager is a small bird that weighs around 29.1 g.
Where does the Summer Tanager live?
The Summer Tanager is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA s USA and n Mexico, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Summer Tanager belong to?
The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) belongs to the Cardinalidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Summer Tanager eat?
The Summer Tanager is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Summer Tanager migrate?
The Summer Tanager is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Summer Tanager endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Summer Tanager make?
1 real field recording of the Summer Tanager — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Summer Tanager's range?
The Summer Tanager has a mapped global range of about 3.3 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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