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 →
Recent sightings of Summer Tanager in Piedras Blancas National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Piedras Blancas National Park
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Blue-black Grosbeak
Cyanocompsa cyanoides
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Dickcissel
Spiza americana
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
Variable Seedeater
Sporophila corvina
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
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 Piedras Blancas National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Summer Tanager sighting in Piedras Blancas National Park, based on 609 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Summer Tanager in Piedras Blancas National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Summer Tanager in Piedras Blancas National Park in our monthly data.