THE SUMMER TANAGER. 



QJ 



(5 HE TANAGERS are birds of 

 such uncommon beauty that 

 when we have taken the pic- 

 tures of the entire family the 

 group will be a notable one and will 

 add attractiveness to the portfolio. [See 

 Vol. I, pp. 31 and 215.] This speci- 

 men is also called the Summer Red- 

 bird or Rose Tanager, and is found 

 pretty generally distributed over the 

 United States during the summer 

 months, wintering in Cuba, Centl-al 

 America, and northern South America. 

 As will be seen, the adult male is a 

 plain vermilion red. The plumage of 

 the female is less attractive. In habits 

 this species resembles the Scarlet Tana- 

 ger, perhaps the most brilliant of the 

 group, but is not so retiring, frequent- 

 ing open groves and often visiting 

 towns and cities. 



The nesting season of this charming 

 bird extends to the latter part of July, 

 but varies with the latitude and season. 

 Bark strips and leaves interwoven with 

 various vegetable substances compose 

 the nest, which is usually built on a 

 horizontal or drooping branch, near 

 its extremity and situated at the edge 

 of a grove near the roadside. Davie 

 says: "All the nests of this species 

 which I have seen collected in Ohio 

 are very thin and frail structures ; so 

 thin that the efjofs mav often be seen 

 from beneath. A nest sent me from 

 Lee county, Texas, is compactly built 

 of a cottony weed, a few stems of 

 Spanish moss, and lined with fine 

 grass stems." Mr. L. O. Pindar states 

 that nests found in Kentucky are com- 

 pactly built, but not very thickly 

 lined. The eggs are beautiful, being 

 a bright, light emerald green, spotted, 



dotted, and blotched with various 

 shades of lilac, brownish-purple, and 

 dark brown. 



Chapman says the Summer Tanager 

 may be easily identified, not alone by 

 its color but by its unique call-note, a 

 clearly enunciated chicky^ tiicky^ tuck. 

 Its song bears a general resemblance 

 to that of the Scarlet, but to some ears 

 is much sweeter, better sustained, and 

 more musical. It equals in strength, 

 according to one authority, that of the 

 Robin, but is uttered more hurriedly, 

 is more " wiry," and much more 

 continued. 



The Summer Tanager is to a greater 

 or less extent known to farmers as the 

 Red Bee-Bird. Its food consists largely 

 of hornets, wasps, and bees. 



The male of this species requires 

 several years to attain the full plum- 

 age. Immature individuals, it is said, 

 show a mixture of red and yellow 

 in relative proportions according to 

 age. The female has more red than 

 the male, but the tint is peculiar, a 

 dull Chinese orange, instead of a pure 

 rosy vermilion, as in the male. 



An interesting study for many of 

 our readers during the summer months 

 when the Tanagers a^ gay in their 

 full plumage, would Be to seek out, 

 with Birds in hand, the most attractive 

 denizens of the groves, identifying and 

 observing them in their haunts until 

 the entire group, of which five species 

 are represented in the United States, 

 is made familiar. When we remem- 

 ber that there are about three hundred 

 and eighty known species of Tanagers 

 in Tropical America, it would seem a 

 light task to acquaint oneself with the 

 small family at home. 



165 



