TANAGERS 379 



FAMILY TANAGRIDiE: TANAGERS. 



GENUS PIRANGA. 



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

 rictal bristles well developed ; wing of nine primaries leng'thened and 

 pointed ; tail shorter than wings, emaroinate ; tarsus not longer than mid- 

 dle toe, scaled. 



KEY TO ADULT MALES IN .SPRING. 



WP*'^ 



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 grayisli back and 

 brownish ear coverts hepatica, p. 381. 



1'. 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 Tanacer. 



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 grayish ; 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 winter : like summer 

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

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

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

 lowi.sh olive ; tertials broadly tipped with white or pale yellow ; tail feath- 

 ers more or less tii)2)ed with white. Voiokj male in first autumn : like adult 

 female, but clearer yellow below and rump yellower. Youn<i female in 

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

 olive, under parts washed with brownish olive ; wing bai-s narrower, and 

 buffy. Ynunij nude, first plumage : upjx'r ji.'irts olive green ; wings Idack- 

 ish, with yellow wing bars; tail witli outer w»'l»s of feathers edged with 

 olive green; throat and chest gnnish. ehest tinged with yellow and 

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

 M(de: length (skins) ♦;.•_'()-♦•..•>.■), wing "..Tl-^.S:'., tail L'.tU-L'.HS. hill .'u-AVl. 

 Female : length (skins) »;.:;( )-(•».•»(). wing 3..')4-3.8S. tail 2.(;S-2.S'.i. bill ..*);',- 

 .«)3. 



Distribution. — IJreeds in ('.anadian /one in mountains from Ih-itish 

 Columbia to Ari/<tna. and from nortliwcHtfrn Xchniska to ('aliforni.a ; 

 straggles eiistward in migration to the Atlantic states; wintei-s south to 

 Guatemala. 



