Life List 105
Visually documented
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
- First photographed
- July 13, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Western Tanager portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Piranga ludoviciana
Overview
The Western Tanager is a canopy-dwelling songbird whose tropical appearance brightens western forests. Although placed with cardinals and grosbeaks rather than true tanagers, it shares a strong appetite for insects and fruit.
Identification
Breeding males are bright yellow with black wings and back and an orange-red head; the red pigment comes from a rare dietary pigment. Females are yellow-green with dusky wings and pale wingbars.
Range
Breeds from Alaska and western Canada through western North America. It migrates through Mexico to winter from western Mexico through Central America.
Habitat
Coniferous and mixed forest, aspen groves, open mountain woodland, forest edges, parks, and shade trees during migration.
Diet
Insects, spiders, berries, and other fruit, often taken high in foliage or caught in short aerial sallies.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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