CHAPTER THIRTEEN 



TANAGERS 



IN South and Central America and the warmer parts of 

 Mexico there are at least three times as many species of 

 birds as in that part of America which lies farther north. 

 Many of these birds are plain colored, but in the tropical 

 parts of both hemispheres there are more bright-colored 

 birds than in cooler regions. Europe has not so many 

 handsome birds as the United States, not any that 

 are so brilliant as our bluebird, blue jay, Baltimore oriole, 

 or scarlet tanager. About 350 species of tanagers live 

 in South America, but none are ever found in .the Old 

 World. Many of them have plumage of strongly con- 

 trasted colors, black, red, yellow, or blue, two or more 

 of these colors in the same bird. In size and form they 

 resemble members of the sparrow family. Our species 

 are 7 and 8 inches long. 



Tanagers in the United States. Tanagers do not win- 

 ter north of the Mexican border, but in summer four 

 species occur in the United States. The most common 

 of these are the summer tanager and the scarlet tanager. 

 The former breeds as far north as the Ohio River. The 

 color of the male is rose red ; that of the female orange 

 olive-green above and yellowish orange below. 

 I The scarlet tanager goes as far north in summer as 

 southern Canada. The adult male is a brilliant scarlet, 

 excepting the wings and tail, which are black. The 

 female shows no red color but is mainly olive-green above 

 and greenish yellow below. During the August molt 

 the male loses his scarlet and black plumage and takes the 

 color of the female. 



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