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 unlike ; 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, ¢ 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, g p. 411; 
B. Plumage chiefly olive-green, no red. 
a. Wing with two conspicuous white or yellow cross-bands. 
P. ludoviciana, 2 p. 409. 
b. No wing-bands. 
a* Under wing-coverts white with a darker dusky border. 
P. erythromelas, 2 p. 410. 
b? Under wing-coverts yellow, without dusky border. 
P. cooperi, 2 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 ; Keyser 02, pp. 39, 279 ; Henderson 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 238 ; 
Gilman 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 blueish-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 inner 
secondaries edged and tipped with yellowish or whitish, forming a 
