Species: Western Tanager
Most recent capture date: 7/24/2022
Age: about 15 months old
Sex: male

Notes: No, this isn’t a tropical bird that got lost – although they’re surprisingly easy to miss, these stunning tanagers breed and migrate in northern California. They’re not common at CCFS though: since 2005 we’ve averaged less than one Western Tanager per year, and that average would be even less if it weren’t for the six (!) young tanagers we caught during fall migration in 2021. Adult females and young birds are yellow and greenish-yellow: certainly pretty, but distinct from the conflagration of an adult male. The last time we caught an adult male at CCFS was 2004. We can tell that this fellow is in his second year because of the mix of black and brown plumage in his wing: an older adult would have only black.