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

News of the arrival of the scarlet tanager - more usually found in the forests of North America - broke last weekend, sending birdwatchers into a state of excitement.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2024

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

"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 is Mr Nash's 435th species spotted in Britain.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

The scarlet tanager rose and flew from tree to tree like a darting flame, but Winifred had forgotten him.

From What Necessity Knows by Dougall, Lily