TANAGERS 379 



FAMILY TANAGRIDiE: TANAGERS. 



GENUS PIRANGA. 



General Characters. — Bill straight, stout, conoidal ; nostrils exposed ; 

 rictal bristles well developed ; wing of nine primaries lengthened and 

 pointed ; tail shorter than wings, emai'ginate ; tarsus not longer than mid- 

 dle toe, scaled. 



KEY TO ADULT MALES IN SPRING. 



1. Upper mandible with a tooth-like projection on cutting 

 edge. 



2. Plumage marked with black. ^^" *' 



3. Plumage scarlet and black erythromelas, p. 380. 



3'. Plumage red, black, and yellow .... ludoviciana, p. 379. 



2'. Plumage not marked with black ; red, with grayish back and 

 brownish ear coverts hepatica, p. 381. 



r. Upper mandible without tooth-like projection. 



^< 



Fig. 468. 



2. Under parts vermilion or poppy red rubra, p. 382. 



2'. Under parts rose pink cooperi, p. 382. 



607. Piranga ludoviciana (Wils). Louisiana Tanager: West- 

 ern Tanagek. 

 Upper mandible with a tooth-like projection on cutting edge. Adult 

 male in summer : head and neck bright orange or red ; rest of under 

 parts bright yellow ; upper parts black, with yellow rump and wing 

 patches. Adult female in summer: upper parts olive green, back and 

 scapulars grayisli ; wing bars dull yellowish ; under parts pale grayish 

 yellow, becoming sulphur yellow on under tail coverts ; anterior part of 

 head sometimes tinged with red. Adult male in irinter : like sunmior 

 female, but with head yellow or slightly tinged with red. more or less 

 obscured on occiput and hind neck with olive green or dusky tips to 

 feathers; feathers of back usually more or less distinctly edged with yel- 

 lowish olive ; tertials broadly tipped with white or pale yellow ; tail feath- 

 ers more or less tipped with white. Young male in first autumn : like adult 

 female, but clearer yellow below and rump yellower. Young female in 

 Jirst autumn: like adult female, but duller; upper parts more brownish 

 olive, under parts washed with brov :iisli olive ; wing hai-s narrower, and 

 buffy. Young mtde, first /dumage : upper parts olive green ; wings black- 

 ish, with yellow wing bai-s ; tail with outer webs of feathers edged with 

 olive green ; throat and chest grayi.sh. chest tinged with yellow and 

 streaked ; chin and under tail coverts yellow ; rest of under parts white. 

 ^fale: length (skins) (;.2»m;.1>.'), wing :5."71-;5.83, tail 2.«)4-2.5IS, bill .57-.H2. 

 Female: length (skins) (i.:;()-0.yO, wing 3.54-3.88, tail 2.08-2.8i>, bill .53- 



m. 



Distrihution. — Breeds in Canadian zone in mountains from British 

 Columbia to Arizona, and from northwestern Nebraska to California ; 

 straggles eastward in migration to the Atlantic states; winters south to 

 Guatemala. 



