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The male scarlet tanager sticks out “like at sore thumb.” They are so obvious that they stay away during nest building to avoid having the nest location known to enemies. Ralph LaPlant Photo

The male scarlet tanager is colored with a flaming scarlet body and contrasting black wings. The female is dull-green over dull-yellow in color. When seen against the contrasting green of the forest, the male sticks out “like a sore thumb.” Females tend to blend in with their surroundings.
    
Being birds that live in the canopy (top) of forests, these birds are heard more than observed. During courtship and nest building, you have a better chance of seeing them as their songs can frequently be heard and you may be drawn towards them. Females can also be seen at this time, as they tend to stick close to the males.
    
Arriving in late April to early June, the scarlet tanager occupies all but the very western and southwestern portions of the state. Their range, in addition, includes the Minnesota River region throughout the state. Scarlet tanagers occupy territories of two to six acres that are established in mid-April with nest building starting a couple of weeks later. The nests are built on horizontal limbs where small twigs attach. These nests have been seen as low as five feet and as high as 75 above ground, but the usual distances are between 20 and 30 feet. Built by the female only, nest materials include grasses, twigs, stems, and strips of bark and rarely, string. A suspected reason for the male not participating in nest building is that its brilliant colors could draw danger to the nest.
    
These birds breed their first year and four eggs that are pale blue-green in color with brown spots are laid after a two-week gestation period. Often only one or two eggs hatch as they are very fragile and many break. Only the females incubate, but both parents feed their young. Adults, who feed on larger insects such as moths, have been called the “guardian of the oaks,” as they feed on and destroy caterpillars. They have one brood per year and nestlings leave the nest in about ten days and are on their own in about another two weeks.
    
September and October finds these birds migrating, mainly at night, to northwestern South America. Fall is when the males turn colors to olive-green above and yellow-green below.  

Tanager Facts

There are four tanagers common in North America – hepatic, summer, western and scarlet

Nests are so loosely constructed you can often see the eggs from below

Tanagers have been know to live at elevations up to 10,000 feet above sea level

About 75% survive the first year
The oldest on record (scarlet tanager) is ten years and one month