Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerScarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Houston

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

547 Verified sightings at Houston
12,804 In all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Scarlet Tanager

The scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) is a medium-sized American songbird in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). Until 2009, it was placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), but it and other members of its genus have since been classified as belonging to the cardinal family. Breeding males have bright red plumage with black wings and tails, while females are yellow-olive. Outside the breeding season, males develop plumage similar to that of females, although their wings and tails remain darker.

The species breeds mainly in large deciduous forests in eastern North America. It migrates through Central America to spend the winter in forests along the Andean foothills of northwestern South America. Scarlet tanagers feed mainly on insects, but they also eat fruit when it is available. Habitat fragmentation can increase nest predation and brood parasitism, and populations are declining in some areas. However, the species is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The genus name Piranga is from Tupi Tijepiranga, the name for an unknown small bird, and the specific olivacea is from Neo-Latin olivaceus, "olive-green". Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:28

United States · 2025

© Bobby Wilcox · XC1036515 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:28

United States · 2024

© Sue Riffe · XC938800 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:59

United States · 2018

© Meena Haribal · XC420841 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
7 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
9 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
11 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
12 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
16 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
17 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
21 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
25 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
26 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
27 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
28 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
32 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
34 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
35 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
37 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
39 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
40 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
41 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
43 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
44 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
45 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
47 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
48 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
49 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
50 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
53 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
54 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
2 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Havana 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
8 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 National Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Schönbrunn Zoo 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
4 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Closest Relatives at Houston

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Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
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Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
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Rose-breasted Grosbeak
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Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pyrrhuloxia
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Cardinalis sinuatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue Grosbeak
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Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dickcissel
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Spiza americana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Painted Bunting
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Passerina ciris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-headed Grosbeak
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Pheucticus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue Jay
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Blue Jay

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Cyanocitta cristata

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
Northern Mockingbird
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☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus polyglottos

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Scarlet Tanager in Houston?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet Tanager sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 547 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 140th most-seen of the 302 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Scarlet Tanager in Houston?

April

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet Tanager in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Scarlet Tanager?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Houston the best place to see a Scarlet Tanager?

12th of 26

Of the 26 cities where we can rate Scarlet Tanager sightings, Houston ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Bogota (Colombia, about 10%), New York City (United States, about 10%) and Philadelphia (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Scarlet Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Scarlet Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Houston (547 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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