I saw this pair at Madera Canyon, Rita Lodge back in January. What a treat!
~Why is it called a hepatic tanager?
The Hepatic Tanager’s sweet, caroling song carries well through the open pine and pine-oak forests of its highland habitats. Named for the male’s dusky reddish upperparts (“hepatic” refers to the liver), this species’ scientific name ( flava) also references the female’s yellow plumage.
~Where do tanagers live in the US?
Hepatic Tanagers occur in much of South and Central America and barely reach the southwestern U.S., where they are common but very little studied. They have gradually expanded their range northward since the 1960s.
How exciting! It’s a beautiful bird.