Western Tanager

Western Tanager breeds in the forested parts of Sonoma County (and in suitable areas throughout most of the Western United States and Canada and then moves south for the winter, spending the colder months in coastal Southern California, southern Baja California, and central Mexico. In the Bay Area, tends to nest a higher elevations, avoiding the fog belt. Spring birds arrive in Sonoma County around the end of April. Most have left by late October, but some will still be moving through the area in early November, and a few birds overwinter here each year. Most commonly seen locally during autumn migration. Perhaps most common here in September through mid-October. Generally prefers wooded areas where it tends to stay high up in trees, but during migration may turn up just about anywhere, including the suburbs. May appear at feeders in the Winter.

Male Western Tanager in breeding plumage is striking and unmistakeable. Look for the bright red-orange head and canary yellow body with sharply contrasting black wings and tail. Has two broad wing bars. The upper wing bar is yellow or yellowish, so it may appear as a deep notch in the top of the wing rather than as a wing bar. Western Tanager is the only North American tanager with distinct wing bars (setting aside Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata), a rare stray from Mexico occasionally seen in extreme southern Arizona). Tips of tertials also white, which creates a somewhat striped look in that portion of the wing. Broad bill suggests a seed eater, but Western Tanagers eat seeds, insects, and fruit, the latter mostly during autumn migration.

Females (photo above) are mostly a yellowish olive, but note the grey-olive back that separates the yellow areas of the head from the yellowish lower back and rump. Some females are considerably less yellow and more drab than others, and these paler birds tend to have a greyish-white belly, but greyish back should still separate the yellower tones of the head from the yellowish lower back and rump. Wings and tail are dark but not black as in the male. The wing bars and white on the tertials are similar to the male pattern, however. Males in non-breeding plumage lose most of the red on the head, usually retaining just a wash on the forehead, but extent of red is variable (photo below). Males are unlikely to be confused with any other bird, but females can look a lot like female orioles. The bill distinguishes the two easily, however. A female oriole will have a longer, darker, sharper, usually slightly down-curved bill (photo below).

Vocalization is often described as sounding like a hoarse American Robin (Turdus migratorius), but to my ear, sounds more like a hoarse Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus). See links below to compare.