Summer Tanager

A series of short, melodious phrases resembling an American Robin's song, but softer, sweeter, and more slurred. It often sounds like a lazy, whistled warble. Males sing "pipi-tuck-p'truck" phrases from high perches to advertise and attract mates.

A migratory breeder in the U.S. – present in the East, South, and parts of the Southwest during spring and summer, then wintering in Mexico, Central America and northern South America. They arrive on breeding grounds in late April to May and depart by early fall. Mostly absent in U.S. winters except for a few in southern Florida or the Gulf Coast.

Open deciduous or mixed woodlands, especially with oak, mesquite, or other trees that host plenty of insects. Often found along forest edges, clearings, and near streams. Breeds commonly in the Southeast, Midwest, and south-central U.S., as well as parts of the Southwest. In the West they favor riparian cottonwood forests in lowlands.

In spring, males arrive from the tropics and immediately begin singing a robin-like dawn song and issuing their distinctive "pit-ti-tuck" calls. Pairs form quickly and nesting begins by early summer. During summer the birds specialize in catching wasps and bees, often high in the canopy, and raising typically one brood. Come late summer, they fatten up on berries (they can accumulate large fat reserves for migration) before migrating. By fall, most have left the U.S., crossing the Gulf of Mexico or moving through Mexico. In winter, they live quietly in tropical forests and semi-open areas of Central and South America.

A medium-sized songbird with an uncrested thick head and a hefty pale bill. Adult males are entirely rosy red – the only completely red bird in North America with no other markings. Females are mustard-yellow to yellow-olive, duller on the back and brighter below. Both sexes have no wing bars and an overall smooth, uniform color.