Country intro
Scarlet Tanager - Piranga olivacea
I'm so sorry for the bad shot! I was hiking with my kids when my son said that he saw a "cardinal with black wings". I was busy examining a pile of fox scat, and by the time I got up and meandered over to him, the bird had flown up high into a tree. I took this shot with my macro lens ;P. I'm sharing it because I was so excited to see it - it's the second time I've ever seen this bird!
Habitat: Deciduous forest beside a pond
The scarlet tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Until recently, it was placed in the tanager family, but it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging to the cardinal family. The species' plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family, although the "Piranga" species lacks the thick conical bill that many cardinals possess.
comments (2)
It was on the ground when Noah saw it, but honestly I didn't want to leave the fox scat and assumed that he was just seeing a cardinal. Kids' brains tend to exaggerate whatever they think they are seeing! Posted 6 years ago