NATURE
A
Male Scarlet Tanager
Spring Beauty
the other RED BIRD This lesser-known species is just as delightful, but harder to spot words and photographs by MIKE DUNN
lmost everyone is familiar with our state bird, the Northern Cardinal. It’s so common and beloved around the country that it’s the official bird of seven states — the most of any species! Cardinals are found year-round throughout our region in forests, yards, and urban parks. My 89-year-old mother loves seeing them at her feeders on the back deck, where she admires the brilliant colors of the male “redbirds” — still a common name in use by many people, especially in rural areas of the South. But did you know there are some other red birds that spend part of their year with us? The Summer Tanager and the Scarlet Tanager brighten our woodlands for several months of every year. Both are neotropical migrants, traveling from their wintering grounds in Central and South America to breeding areas in the north. They are generally less well known to most casual birders, since they tend to populate mature forests and spend much of their time in the tree canopy, where they can be difficult to spot. Males of both species are bright red, much like a cardinal. Adult male Summer Tanagers are red all over, often with a hint of darker color in their wings. As the name implies, Scarlet Tanager males are intensely scarlet with jet-black wings and tails, one of the more vivid color combinations of any of our local birds. Females of both species lack the bold colors of the males, but are beautiful in their own right. A female Summer Tanager is yellow, occasionally with a wash of red, especially as she ages. Female Scarlet Tanagers are yellow below and more olive above, with some dark overtones in the wings. Immature and molting male birds are often splotchy, with hints of red and yellow coloration. I have been obsessed with these birds for many years (I’ve even had an email address with “tanager” in it.) Each spring, I listen for their distinctive vocalizations, then start looking up in the The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 39
