Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyCardinalidae (Cardinàlids)
- GenusPiranga (Piranga Tanagers)
- SpeciesPiranga olivacea (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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet Tanager sighting in Acadia National Park, based on 233 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Acadia National Park
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Dickcissel
Spiza americana
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Scarlet Tanager in Acadia National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet Tanager sighting in Acadia National Park, based on 233 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Scarlet Tanager in Acadia National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Scarlet Tanager in Acadia National Park in our monthly data.