SUMMER TANAGER 173 



Summer Tanager : Piranga rubra. 



Male, body and tail rose-red ; wings brownish. Adult female 

 and young, upper parts greenish yellow ; under parts yel- 

 lowish. Length, 7^ inclies. 



Geographic Distribution. — Eastern United States to the 

 Plains ; breeds from Florida to southern New Jersey, wander- 

 ing casually to Nova Scotia ; winters from West Indies and 

 Mexico to South America. 



"In at least the southern half of Illinois the 

 Summer Redbird is an abundant species in dry 

 upland woods. It is moreover a very familiar 

 species, nesting habitually in trees along the road- 

 side and even in the midst of towns. For this 

 reason it is much more frequently seen than the 

 Scarlet Tanager. . . . Besides being a more abun- 

 dant and familiar species, its notes are much 

 louder. The ordinary one sounds — as Wilson ex- 

 presses it, chichy-chucky-chuch. . . . The nest is 

 a thin and shallow but very firm structure. . . . 

 The eggs are usually three in number, and are 

 similar in color and markings to those of the 

 Scarlet Tanager, but somewhat larger." (Ridg- 

 way.) 



These two birds are the only eastern members 

 of the family in North America. They are our 

 most brilliant birds, and, as their colors might 

 suggest, belong to a tropical family. The two 

 species are easily distinguished by the shade of 

 red. 



