410 Birds of Colorado 



double wing-band ; below dull yellowish, becoming brighter on the 

 centre of the breast and the iinder tail-coverts ; size about the same 

 as the male. A young female is still duller in colour. A young male 

 has no crimson on the head, and resembles the female but is rather 

 brighter in tone. 



Distribution.— Breeding in western North America from the eastern 

 base of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, and from British Colimabia 

 southwards ; in wiater south over the greater part of Mexico to the 

 highlands of Guatemala. 



This Tanager is a common siunmer bird in Colorado, breeding chiefly 

 in the movmtains from about 6,500 to 10,000 feet. It arrives about 

 the middle of May at Colorado Springs. Aiken's earliest date is May 

 11th. About a fortnight later it moves up into the mountains, coming 

 down to the plains again early in September and leaving soon after, 

 though taken by Aiken as late as October 14th at Pueblo (Henshaw). 

 It is well distributed over the whole of the State except in the plains 

 region east of the mountains. The following are some additional 

 recorded localities : Estes Park (Kellogg), Idaho Springs (Trippe), 

 Wet Mountains (Lowe), Fort Garland (Henshaw), Routt and Giumison 

 COS. (Warren), Glenwood Springs (Keyser), Mesa co. (Rockwell), La 

 Plata CO. (Morrison). 



Habits. — ^The Western Tanager keeps chiefly to high 

 trees, the cotton-woods along the valleys at low elevations, 

 the pine trees in the mountains ; Trippe describes them 

 as rambhng leisurely along through the pine woods and 

 singing from the tree tops. They feed chiefly on insects, 

 which they catch on the wing like a flycatcher, and also 

 search for among the branches of the trees. 



The nest is generally built on the horizontal limb of 

 a spruce or other conifer, upwards of twenty feet from 

 the ground ; Dennis Gale found fresh eggs about June 

 15th at 8,000 feet to 9,000 feet in Boulder co. The eggs, 

 three to four in number, are pale blueish-green, Ughtly 

 spotted with browns and purples. 



Scarlet Tanager. Piranga erythroynelas. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 608 — Colorado Records— Cooke 97, pp. 168, 

 217 ; H. G. Smith 02, p. 290 ; 08, p. 189 ; Rockwell 08, p. 174. 



