Birds
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra · also called summer tanagers
Perched at the edge of a beehive, a summer tanager snatches a bee mid-flight and rubs the stinger off against a branch before swallowing it, a bold and specialised foraging trick that helps this entirely red bird thrive on prey most other North American songbirds avoid entirely.
Overview
The summer tanager, Piranga rubra, is the only entirely red bird native to North America, breeding across forest habitat in the southeastern and south-central United States before wintering in Central and South America. Its specialised bee- and wasp-hunting strategy, stinger-removal behaviour, and uniquely all-red plumage make it one of the most visually distinctive and behaviourally specialised songbirds found anywhere in North America.
A bird that specialises in stinging insects
Where most birds steer clear of bees and wasps, the summer tanager instead builds much of its diet around them, using a simple but effective stinger-removal trick to turn a risky food source into a reliable meal.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable forest breeding habitat throughout the southeastern and south-central United States.
Summer Tanager: common questions
Why is the summer tanager considered the only entirely red bird in North America?
This species has plumage that is entirely red across its whole body with no contrasting black or other colours, a combination not shared by other red North American birds, such as the northern cardinal, which has a black face, or the scarlet tanager, which has black wings.
How does the summer tanager safely eat bees and wasps?
This species removes the stinger from a captured bee or wasp by rubbing the insect against a branch before eating it, a behaviour that allows it to safely consume prey that most other birds avoid due to the risk of being stung.
Does the summer tanager ever attack beehives directly?
Yes, this species has been observed taking bees directly from the entrances of beehives, a bold foraging strategy that takes advantage of a concentrated, reliable food source rather than hunting individual insects more slowly across the forest.
Where does the summer tanager migrate?
This species undertakes a long annual migration, breeding across parts of the southeastern and south-central United States before travelling to wintering grounds in Central and South America, one of many Neotropical migrant songbirds making this seasonal journey.