Red-headed Tanager (Piranga erythrocephala)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Red-headed Tanager

Piranga erythrocephala (Swainson, 1827)

15 cmLength22 gWeight

The red-headed tanager (Piranga erythrocephala) is a medium-sized American songbird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks, endemic to Mexico.

Busiest months: January · Most records: Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Red-headed Tanager has been recorded at 3 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Reserva de La Chara PintaMexico741 records
  2. Reserva Ecológica Sierra de San Juan – La NoriaMexico524 records
  3. Cabañas y Restaurante Puesta del SolMexico32 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Mexico

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The red-headed tanager (Piranga erythrocephala) is a medium-sized American songbird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks, endemic to Mexico. Males have predominantly yellow-olive plumage with a red head and throat and females have yellow forecrowns.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red-headed Tanager?

The Red-headed Tanager is about 15 cm long and weighs around 22 g.

Where does the Red-headed Tanager live?

Its breeding range: Middle America: Mexico. It is most often recorded in Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Red-headed Tanager?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Red-headed Tanager endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Red-headed Tanager as Least Concern.

What does the Red-headed Tanager eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Red-headed Tanager in?

It belongs to the family Cardinals & Allies (Cardinalidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
15 cm
Weight
22 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
71 mm
Tail
66 mm
Bill
14 mm
Tarsus
19 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America: Mexico

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Cardinals & Allies Cardinalidae
Genus
Piranga

Other birds in the genus Piranga

Flame-colored TanagerFlame-colored TanagerPiranga bidentataTooth-billed TanagerTooth-billed TanagerPiranga luteaRed TanagerRed TanagerPiranga flavaHepatic TanagerHepatic TanagerPiranga hepaticaSummer TanagerSummer TanagerPiranga rubraRose-throated TanagerRose-throated TanagerPiranga roseogularisScarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerPiranga olivaceaWestern TanagerWestern TanagerPiranga ludovicianaWhite-winged TanagerWhite-winged TanagerPiranga leucopteraRed-hooded TanagerRed-hooded TanagerPiranga rubriceps
Red-headed Tanager

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Nigel Voaden. ↗

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