Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
Also known as: Red Tanager, Lowland Hepatic-Tanager, Highland Hepatic-Tanager, Northern Hepatic-Tanager, Hepatic Piranga
About This Species
Widespread through pine-oak woodland and forest edge from the southwestern United States down through Central and South America, this stocky tanager forages deliberately in the mid and upper canopy for insects and fruit, moving less frenetically than many smaller songbirds. Males show a rich brick-red plumage that can look surprisingly dull in shade but glows in direct sunlight, while females are a soft mustard yellow. Open pine-oak stands in the breeding season, when males sing a rich, whistled song from exposed perches, are the most productive places to look.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- A slow approach and quiet observation from below a foraging tree works better than trying to close the distance, since a pressured bird will simply retreat higher into the canopy.
- Native bird protection laws cover this species across its range of North, Central and South American countries, though specific rules and enforcement vary, so nests should be treated as off limits everywhere.
- Keeping to trails through pine-oak habitat during the breeding season reduces the chance of disturbing a nest tucked into dense foliage.
Seasonal Activity
245,123 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cardinalidae
Photo
(c) Francesco Veronesi, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.