Characteristics
 The western tanager is 6-7 inches in length. The male western tanager has a bright red head, a bright yellow body and black wings. The female western tanager is greenish-yellow on top and yellow on her underside. Both the male and female have two wing bars. The top wing bar is yellow and the bottom one is white.
Range
 The western tanager can be found in the western United States and Canada. It breeds from southern Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada south through the western United States. It winters in in Mexico and South America and occasionally in Southern California.
Habitat
The western tanager breeds in open coniferous forests and
mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. It can be found at elevations of up to 10,000 feet. It winters in
open mountain pine woodlands and in parks and gardens. |
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Diet
 The western tanager eats fruits and insects.
It forages for food in the trees and shrubs.
They also catch insects in the air.
Life Cycle
 The female western tanager lays three to five eggs in a cup-shaped nest made of woven bark, grass and weeds. The nest is placed in a fork of a tree. The female incubates the eggs. The eggs hatch in about two weeks. Both parents care for the chicks.
Behavior
The western tanager is a long-distance
migrator. Every year it travels between its wintering grounds in Mexico
and Central America to its breeding grounds in western North America.
Image Credits: Clipart.com unless otherwise noted
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