Female Summer Tanagers (Male vs Female Identification)

Summer tanager (red piranha) is a neotropical breeding migratory bird of the family Cardinalidae with a peculiar appearance. American birders can spot these brightly colored songbirds between May and October, when they forage and nest in deciduous woodlands and riparian forests. Despite their bright colors, these birds can be difficult to spot.

Males are almost unmistakable by their uniform scarlet plumage, but the species exhibits marked sexual dimorphism, with males and females significantly different. So what does a female summer tanager look like?

The female summer tanager is a medium sized yellow songbird with a yellow/green back. They have a thick brown or pink beak, prominent black eyes, and a small crest that is not always visible.

In addition to color differences, female summer tanagers play very different roles during the breeding season, and birders can also notice differences in their vocal behavior.

Females may be confused with some other similar birds, but different distributions and slight plumage differences make it possible to distinguish them.

This article describes the appearance and behavior of the female summer tanager. Read on to learn how to spot these colorful spring visitors.

Close up of a female summer tanager perched on a branch with an insect in her beak during spring migration in Galveston County, Texas

How can I tell if a Summer tanager is a male or a female?

It is usually easy to distinguish adult male and female summer tanagers. Males are a uniform scarlet, while females are completely yellow. Females have a green back and darker coverts and flight feathers.

However, older females may have varying degrees of red in their plumage, while younger males may be predominantly yellow with red/orange spots and patches. Young birds are also difficult to distinguish during the first few months after fledgling.

female summer tanager

male summer tanager

What does a female summer tanager look like?

The female summer tanager is a medium-sized songbird with a large head, a very small crest, and a thick beak. They have gray-brown feet and a medium-length tail. The black eyes stand out against the yellow plumage and light brown beak.

Female summer tanager perched on a branch

Same species

Female summer tanagers are easily confused with some other American tanager species. Read on to learn how to tell these similar birds apart.

Female scarlet tanager (P. olivacea)

The range of the female scarlet tanager overlaps with that of the summer tanager in the Southeast and lower Midwest. These birds are similar in appearance, although they have a softer yellowish color and darker wings than summer tanagers.

Female liver tanager (P. flava)

The female liver tanager looks very similar, but has a gray back and face and a darker beak than the female summer tanager. The top of the head and under the beak of the female liver tanager look the yellowest – lacking the full yellow head of the summer tanager. The two species overlap in the southwest.

Female western tanager (P. ludoviciana)

The Western Tanager overlaps with the Summer Tanager in the southwest, but is absent in the east and southeast. Female western tanagers have darker wings with prominent white wing bars.

Close up of a female summer tanager perched on a branch

Females with juvenile and non-breeding males

The juvenile plumage of young male and female summer tanagers looks alike, and the plumage lasts from June to August. Juveniles are olive gray above, turning yellow when mature.

Overwintering in South America, first-year males resemble adult females but develop increasingly reddish plumage, especially around the head, tail, and rump. When they returned to the United States, the males were easily identifiable from the females by their predominantly red plumage.

Read on to learn about the size of female summer tanagers and how they compare to males.

juvenile male summer tanager

Are female summer tanagers bigger than males?

Female summer tanagers are slightly smaller than males, with one study finding an average mass difference of about 2 grams. The beak of the female is slightly larger, but smaller overall. However, the difference is too small to be noticeable in the field.

Read on for Summer Tanager’s average measurements.

summer tanager size

• length: Male and female summer tanagers are about 6.7 inches (17 cm) long
• span: Their wingspan is 11 to 12 inches (28 – 30 cm)
• Lots of: Summer tanagers are medium-sized songbirds weighing just over an ounce (30 grams)

adult female summer tanager

behavioral difference

Females arrive slightly later than males at their summer breeding grounds in the southern and eastern United States. The delay gives males a chance to establish a foraging and nesting area. Once the female arrives, courtship begins almost immediately, with lots of singing and chasing.

Summer tanagers feed on wasps, bees, fruit and berries. They usually forage on their own, although pairs may forage close to each other during courtship.

adult male summer tanager

sing and call

Female summer tanagers make a variety of calls that can be heard throughout the day. They are especially loud in the early morning and evening twilight. Females generally do not sing, although some produce incomplete versions of the male’s song.

The most commonly heard female summer tanager vocalization is the two- or three-tone “Pit Chuck‘ or ‘fuck me chuck‘ Salutation. During nesting season, females also beg for food while sitting in the nest.

Female summer tanager in a tree

nesting and feeding

There is a clear division of labor between male and female summer tanagers, with the male doing relatively little work until the eggs hatch. Read on to learn how their nesting behavior differs.

nest

Female summer tanagers gather materials and build their own nests. They gather materials near their dens and do most of their construction work in the morning. The nest itself is a simple bowl of hay and other plant material.

hatch brood

Only the female summer tanager broods. She grows a brood area on her chest to transfer body heat to the growing embryo. Males may feed her in the nest or while she is resting, although some females must feed themselves.

Females remain in the nest for ten minutes to an hour before taking a short five-minute rest. Males usually don’t get too far away, and will chase her back if she leaves for too long.

Female summer tanager feeding on oranges

feed

Both male and female summer tanagers feed their chicks. However, females may provide more food than males. Males usually pass food to females rather than feeding the chicks directly.

Summer tanager chicks leave the nest long before they are ready to fly or eat. Both parents will continue to feed them for about three weeks, but if the female lays a second clutch, the male may take over this responsibility.

Nest Defense

Male summer tanagers may have less direct care for chicks than their female counterparts, but they are alert and ready to defend the nest.

Brown-headed and bronzed cowbirds lay their eggs in tanager nests to avoid raising their own offspring. However, if a male summer tanager sees a female cowbird, he will quickly chase them away.

Female summer tanager drinking from a bird bath in Louisiana in spring

Can female summer tanagers raise offspring alone?

Summer tanagers are monogamous during the breeding season. Males are present but don’t play that big of a role until the chicks have hatched. He assists in feeding the growing chicks, but may bring back half as much food as his mates.

What color is a female summer tanager?

Female summer tanagers are overall mustard yellow in color. Their backs are yellow-green and their wings are dark brown and black. They may have varying amounts of pink or red plumage, and eastern birds may have more rose-colored plumage.

Do female summer tanagers call?

Female summer tanagers sing frequently. Their vocalizations include begging, soft contact calls between mates near the nest, and repeated “Pit Chuck‘ Called with two or more notes.

Do female summer tanagers sing?

Female summer tanagers rarely sing, although this behavior has been reported. Female songs can be described as poor renditions of male songs.