Western or Louisiana Tanager 409 



Genus PIRANGA. 



Medium sized Tanagers with the cutting edge of the upper mandible 

 generally prolonged into a median tooth ; nostrils basal, not concealed ; 

 wing long and pointed, the outer three or four primaries about equal 

 and longest ; tail shorter than the wing and slightly forked ; tarsus 

 short and weak ; sexes vmlike ; males with at least the head red. 



The range of this genus includes the greater part of the temperate 

 and tropical regions of America. One species only is commonly found 

 in Colorado, two others are accidental or casual visitors. 



A. Plumage with red at least on the heads (males). 



a. Only the head and neck red, wings black with yellow wing- 



bars. P. ludoviciana, c? P- 409. 



b. Wings and tail black, rest of plumage red. 



P. erythromelas, ^ p. 410. 



c. Whole plumage dull red, wings dusky, largely edged with red. 



P. cooperi, <? p. 411; 



B. Plmnage chiefly olive-green, no red. 



a. Wing with two conspicuous white or yellow cross-bands. 



P. ludoviciana, ? p. 409. 



b. No wing-bands. 



a^ Under wing-coverts white with a darker diLsky border. 



P. erythromelas, ? p. 410. 

 b* Under wing-coverts yellow, without dusky border. 



P. cooperi, ? p. 411. 



Western or Louisiana Tanager. Piranga ludoviciana. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 607— Colorado Records— Allen 72, p. 149 ; 

 Aiken 72, p. 199 ; Trippe 74, p. 232 ; Henshaw 75, p. 235 ; Scott 79, 

 p. 92 ; Minot 80, p. 228 ; Drew 81, p. 88 ; 85, p. 15 ; Allen & Brewster 

 83, p. 159 ; Beckham 85, p. 141 ; Morrison 88, p. 73 ; Kellogg 90, p. 89 ; 

 Lowe 92, p. 101 ; 94, p. 269 ; McGregor 97, p. 38 ; Cooke 97, pp. 19, 

 110, 167, 217 ; Keyser02, pp. 39, 279 ; Henderson 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 238 ; 

 Gihnan 07, p. 158 ; Warren 08, p. 24 ; 09, p. 17 ; Rockwell 08, p. 174. 



Description. — Male — Head and neck all round and upper-breast 

 crimson-red, becoming more orange in shade posteriorly ; centre of 

 back, wings and tail black, lesser wing-coverts, tips of the greater 

 coverts, rump, upper tail-coverts and rest of the under-parts canary- 

 yellow, tips to the inner secondaries and tail-feathers whitish ; iris 

 brown, bill horn, waxy-yellow towards the base, legs blueLsh-grey. 

 Length 6-75 ; wing 3-8 ; tail 2-75 ; culmen -60 ; tarsus -75. 



The female has the crown and rump dull olive-green, the centre of 

 the back grey and the wings and tail dusky ; the coverts and mner 

 secondaries edged and tipped with yellowish or whitish, forming a 



