Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies)
- GenusPiranga (Piranga Tanagers)
- SpeciesPiranga rubra (Summer Tanager)
About the Summer Tanager
The summer tanager (Piranga rubra) is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.
The summer tanager was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla rubra. Linnaeus based his description on the "summer red-bird" described and illustrated by Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which was published in 1729–1732. Catesby gave the location as Carolina, Linnaeus specified America; the type location is now South Carolina. The summer tanager is the type species of the genus Piranga that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1808. The genus name Piranga is from Tupi Tijepiranga, the name for an unknown small bird; the specific rubra is from Latin ruber meaning "red".
Two subspecies are recognised: Adults have stout, pointed bills and measure 17 cm (6.7 in) in length... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Carmiol's Tanager
Chlorothraupis carmioli
Blue-black Grosbeak
Cyanocompsa cyanoides
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Dickcissel
Spiza americana
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Habia rubica
Crimson-backed Tanager
Ramphocelus dimidiatus
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Golden-hooded Tanager
Stilpnia larvata
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Summer Tanager in Chagres National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Summer Tanager sighting in Chagres National Park, based on 508 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Summer Tanager in Chagres National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Summer Tanager in Chagres National Park in our monthly data.