T he scarlet tanager is a medium-sized songbird, 7 inches long with a wingspan of 11-1/2 inches. The male is unmistakable in summer—bright red with black wings and tail until fall.

The birds that nest here – summer tanager, blue grosbeak, indigo bunting, and Mississippi and swallow-tailed kites, and many more – are settling into their summer homes at places like Sterling ...

Summer tanagers are typical migrants in that they fly by night — usually resting by day. Nocturnal flight has several advantages. Night air is cooler and usually calmer — no rising thermals.

The summer tanager, which stops in Houston to nest, is the only breeding bird in North ...

Colorful birds here for the summer include the ruby-throated hummingbird, eastern bluebird and scarlet tanager. Nest construction and nesting sites are as diverse as the birds themselves.

Often taken for granted, the brightly plumaged male summer tanager is one of the more spectacular breeding birds of North America. The uniform bloodred feathers seen against a bright green ...

A summer tanager. I was left no doubt about its identity when it uttered its telltale call — “pick-e-tuck-tuck.” Patience pays when listening to bird vocalizations.

Flashes of spring color can be spotted now at Corn Creek in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, where vibrant winged visitors might include the blue grosbeak, Townsend’s warbler and summer tanager.