Wildlife Around Las Vegas, Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)

Home | Wildlife | Birds | Songbird Family

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
Birds Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas

Western Tanager male

General Description: Western Tanagers (Piranga ludoviciana) are sexually dimorphic songbirds. Males are yellow with black wings, back, and tail, and an orange head. Typical females are yellow-green overall, with a bit more yellow below. There is also a gray-phase female. In both genders, the bill is pale.

Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Cardinalidae. Formerly Thraupidae.

Favored Habitat: Breed in mountain forests, mulberry trees during migration.

Western Tanager female

Where to Find: During migration, Western Tanagers show up anywhere they can find food (fruit); look for them at Corn Creek or Spring Mountain Ranch State Park where they gorge on mulberries. During summer, look for them in the conifer forests on Mt. Charleston and other high-elevation places around Las Vegas.

Comments: Summer visitors only.

If you were a tasty bug or a juicy mulberry, this might be the last face you'd ever see!

Western Tanager, adult male	Western Tanager, adult male
Western Tanager, adult male	Western Tanager, adult male
Western Tanager, early-season adult male getting his breeding colors	Western Tanager, juvenile male
Western Tanager female	Western Tanager female
Western Tanager female	Western Tanager female
Western Tanager female; gray phase	Western Tanager female; gray phase
Western Tanagers are birds of the trees	Western Tanagers are birds of the trees

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.

; Last updated 240126

Songbirds

Birds Around Las Vegas

Wildlife Around Las Vegas

Glossary

Home

Google Ads