tanager

American  

[tan-uh-jer] / ˈtæn ə dʒər /

noun

1. Also called true tanager.  any of numerous small New World songbirds of the family Thraupidae (tanager family), the males of which are usually brightly colored, including the multicolored green-headed tanager , Tangara seledon, of South America.

2. cardinal.

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tanager British  

/ ˈtænədʒə /

noun

1. any American songbird of the family Thraupidae, having a short thick bill and a brilliantly coloured male plumage

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Etymology

Origin of tanager

First recorded in 1605–15; from New Latin tanagra, metathetic variant of Tupi tangara

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

Another birdwatcher, Matt O'Sullivan, said the scarlet tanager's appearance was the first recorded on the UK mainland, as other sightings had been on "remote" islands.

From BBC

The landscape may look desolate and unforgiving to an outsider — a setting where Chuckwalla lizards, cactus wrens and western tanagers thrive — but for the Cahuilla it is a paradise.

From Los Angeles Times

Exactly why the area attracts as many as 13,000 tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks and warblers on a single day is not entirely understood.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s from a scarlet tanager. Tia Rosario found it in the Dominican Republic and just brought it back for me. Isn’t it beautiful?”

From Literature