TANAGERS: COOPER SUMMER TANAGER 
669 
Leon and northern Durango; winters in Mexico south to Colima and Morelos. 
Recorded from Lower California, Brownsville, Texas, and near Denver, Colorado. 
State Records. —When Doctor Coues passed through New Mexico, in 1864, he 
collected for a few days, June 20-22, at Los Pinos, just south of Albuquerque, where 
he found the Cooper Tanagcr common. It w T as there that the specimen w T as obtained 
that afterwards made the type of this form. The type locality marks the northern 
limit of the regular breeding range in the Rio Grande Valley, but the species also 
breeds up the Gila Valley to western New Mexico (Brewster); as low as Mesilla, 
3,800 feet (Merrill); at Cajon Bonito, 4,500 feet, just south of the New Mexico border 
(Mearns); and at Cooney, 5,500 feet (Barrell). [It was found at Chloride, 6,200 
feet, and found fairly common June 1 and 2,1924, at Carlsbad (Ligon).] 
After the breeding season it was noted [on August 4, 1919, when many with 
young were seen in the Cuchillo Hills, northeast of Fair View, at 6,000 to 7,000 feet 
(Ligon)l; on August 9, 1913, it was seen in the Organ Mountains at 6,200 feet (Mer¬ 
rill); about the middle of August, 1903, at Sierra Grande (Howell); September 11, 
1901, at Carlsbad (Bailey); September 19, 1902, at three miles north of Roswell, and 
September 22, 1902, at Fort Sumner (Gaut); September 27, 1908, Redrock (Gold¬ 
man); and October 1, 1913, Mesilla (Merrill). This last is probably at a later date 
than the species usually remains in the State. 
In the spring it returns about the first of May, and was noted at Cooney on May 
9, 1889 (Barrell), and at Mesilla Park, May 9, 1903 (Ford).— W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. —In trees, made of grasses, weeds, leaves, and catkins. Eggs: 3 or 4, green, 
spotted with browns and purples. 
Food. —Insects, weeds, wild berries, and some little fruit (Merrill). 
s’ 
General Habits. —The young field student may well be on his 
guard when among Cooper Tanagers, for the immature male, after 
molting the female-like yellowish dress, may acquire only a few red 
body feathers, or a wholly red dress. Between these extremes, as 
Doctor Chapman points out, “there is every degree of intergradation** 
and the birds arrayed in this motley wear “present a most striking 
appearance and are sometimes reported by inexperienced observers 
as ‘new* or ‘strange* species** (Bird-Lore, 1918, p. 153). 
The Cooper Summer Tanager, Mr. Henshaw says, “seems to con¬ 
fine its range to the low valleys, and migrates in the south very early** 
(1875, p. 239). It was seen occasionally by Major Goldman “among 
the cottonwoods along the river near Socorro the middle of August, 
1909. When a male was shot a female came near and flew back and 
forth from tree to tree chattering excitedly and finally flew down 
and alighted on the ground beside the fallen bird** (MS). 
“The Tanager comes to Mesilla Park,** Professor Merrill reported, 
“from the middle of April to the first of May, nests in June and leaves 
in September. It is a shy bird, the female being very rarely seen and 
the male seldom, considering his conspicuous color. The pairs seem 
to prefer isolated trees for nesting, although nests in groves are com¬ 
mon** (MS). A nest was found by Mr. Ligon in the top branches of 
a walnut tree growing in a canyon bed. Its one egg was eaten and the 
