scarlet tanager

American  

[skahr-lit tan-uh-jer] / ˈskɑr lɪt ˈtæn ə dʒər /

noun

1. an American songbird, Piranga olivacea, the male of which is bright red with black wings and tail: recently classified as a member of the cardinal family rather than the tanager family, the scarlet tanager breeds across eastern North America and migrates to northwestern South America.

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scarlet tanager British  

noun

1. an E North American tanager, Piranga olivacea, the male of which has a bright red head and body with black wings and tail

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Etymology

Origin of scarlet tanager

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

The report of the scarlet tanager in Shelf, near Halifax, is believed to be the first time one of the birds has been sighted in Yorkshire.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

The scarlet tanager is Mr Nash's 435th species spotted in Britain.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

"Never before seen in Yorkshire, the first-winter male scarlet tanager is just the eighth British record and the first since 2014," it said.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

The scarlet tanager was Mr King's 478th species spotted in the UK, he added.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

If his eye found a feather it was on the back of the scarlet tanager or the blue jay.

From The Riflemen of the Ohio A Story of the Early Days along "The Beautiful River" by Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)