SCARLET TANAGER

Piranga olivacea

Status: Uncommon regular spring migrant east and Niobrara River Valley to Valentine, rare elsewhere. Uncommon regular breeder east, rare north. Uncommon regular fall migrant east and east-central, rare casual west-central and west.

Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM11098, 20 Jun 1907 Lancaster Co.

Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025).

Short (1961) and Ford (1959) raised the possibility that Scarlet Tanager might occur far enough west in the Niobrara River Valley to come into contact and hybridize with Western Tanager. Citing a hybrid specimen between the two species (Tordoff 1950, Mowbray 2020), and noting that an individual seen near Chadron, Dawes Co in late Jun 1955 may have been a hybrid, Short (1961) suggested that the Niobrara River Valley was the best possibility for such contact on the Great Plains. However, neither Short nor Ford could find either species between Chadron, Dawes Co and Valentine, Cherry Co; the three records of Western Tanager in northeastern Cherry Co since may all be of migrants: 16-17 May 2020, 19 May 2016, and 30 Aug 1978. There are no breeding season records of Scarlet Tanager on the Pine Ridge.

Two Nebraska records of putative hybrids with Summer Tanager (P. rubra) are discussed in the Summer Tanager x Scarlet Tanager (hybrid) species account.

First year males are sometimes more orange than red; this is within the range of normal variation and does not elevate such birds to the status of “variant” (Wright 2014); one such bird, reported as a variant, was Platte River SP, Cass Co 29 May 2016.

Spring: Apr 26, 26, 27 <<<>>> summer

Earlier dates are 14 Apr 2007 Sarpy Co, a male at a feeder 15 Apr 2002 Douglas Co, 18 Apr 1991 Douglas-Sarpy Cos, 18 Apr 2015 Lancaster Co, 20 Apr 1943 Jefferson Co, and 22 Apr 2009 Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy Co.

Arrival is in early May.

Rosche (1982) listed this species as a “casual spring transient” in the northwest, citing these records: 9 May 1977 Chadron, Dawes Co, 29 May 1976 Box Butte Reservoir, Dawes Co, and 31 May 1980 Sioux Co. Additional Panhandle records are of one in Deuel Co 17 May 2019, 19-22 May 2026 banded male Ash Hollow SHP, Garden Co, a male that hit a window in Scottsbluff, Scotts Buff Co 28 May 1982, recovered at a local veterinarian’s office overnight and was released the next day (Cortelyou 1982), 1 Jun 2019 Scotts Bluff Co, and 1989 in Monroe Canyon, Sioux Co (Thomas Labedz, personal communication).

Reports in the central away from the Niobrara Valley are migrants; the few records are 3 May 2016 Valentine City Park, Cherry Co, 7 May 2006 Nance Co, 7 May 2023 Elsmere, Brown Co, 8 May 1994 Buffalo Co, 11 May 2022 Hall Co, 15 May 2021 Buffalo Co, 17 May 1987 Valentine NWR, Cherry Co, 17 May 2015 Fort Niobrara NWR, Cherry Co, 19 May 2026 a pair in Grant Co, 21 May 2018 Victoria Springs SRA, Custer Co, 21-23 May 2020 Perkins Co, 24 May 2019 Buffalo Co, and 9 Jun 2023 Greeley Co.

• High counts: 9 at Indian Cave SP, Nemaha and Richardson Cos 12 May 2004, 8 there 14 May 2006, 8 at Fontenelle Forest 15 May 2012, and 8 at Platte River SP, Cass Co 17 May 2018.

Summer: Scarlet Tanager breeds most commonly in deciduous forests in the Missouri River Valley, in lower numbers in the Niobrara River Valley west to western Brown and Keya Paha Cos, and in small numbers in the Platte River Valley west to Dodge Co.

Along the Niobrara River Valley breeding probably occurs west to the Niobrara Valley Preserve in western Brown Co, where Brogie and Mossman (1983) considered it uncommon and found a nest with young there 22 June 1982. There have been very few summer reports along the Niobrara River Valley west of Brown and Keya Paha Cos since Ford (1959) and Short (1961) found birds west to the Valentine area, although reports may be increasing. One was at Valentine 8 Jun 2025, and another nearby on the Cowboy Trail 7 Jun 2026. Singing males were east of Smith Falls SP in Cherry Co 20 Jun 2015, 4 Jun 2018, and 24 Jun 2025, and at Fort Falls, Niobrara NWR 16 Aug 2005 and 10 Jul 2021, and a pair was there 3 Jul 2024. One was east of Valentine in Cherry Co 19 Jul 1995. A male was at Penbrook CG, Cherry Co 1 Jun 2024.

Early Jun reports from Thomas and Logan Cos in the Loup drainage are probably late spring migrants, although it reportedly nested at NNF Bessey, Thomas Co until 1958 (Bray 1994), and Mollhoff (2001) shows a “probable” breeding record along the Middle Loup River on the Custer and Valley Cos line. One in Greeley Co 9 Jun 2023 was likely a migrant.

Breeding apparently occurs in the Platte River Valley, although the current western extent is uncertain. There is an old nesting record for York Co prior to 1897, reported by Tout (Jorgensen 2012). In the western Platte River Valley, a nest was found with adults nearby in Lincoln Co 12 Jun 1938 (Tout 1947). Recent breeding reports, however, extend only to Dodge Co, where it summers regularly; one was singing in Nance Co 18 Jul 2013, and another was there 8 Sep 2012.

In the southeast away from Missouri River Valley counties, reports in Seward and Butler Co suggest small numbers may breed in the oak woodlands associated with the upper Oak Creek drainage. Mollhoff (2016) showed confirmed breeding in Seward Co during the period 2006-2011; one was at Oak Glen WMA, Seward Co 8 Jul 2021, two on 12 Jul 2025, and another, possibly a migrant, 3 Jun 2024. One was in Seward Co 16 Jul 2008. Butler Co reports are 20 Jun 2013 and 3 Jul 2014.

The only breeding record for Lancaster Co is a nest with eggs collected by N. E. Goss at Woodlawn 28 Jun 1889 (#95727 at University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute) (Mollhoff 2022). Since then, the only summer reports there are for 15 Jun 1970 (Cink 1971), 18 Jun 2000, and 1 Jul 1976; Cink (1971) had stated that “apparently there are no breeding records for Lancaster County.” There have been no breeding records for Lancaster Co and only three breeding season records, none since 2000. Recently, however, a singing male was in the area of a connector trail through an off-limits private area between Wilderness Park’s Densmore and Old Cheney accesses 2 Jun-6 Jul 2023, and perhaps two pairs were there 2 Jun and 26 Jul 2025. Habitat in this area includes steep Dakota Sandstone ravines with large Red Oaks that may be among the westernmost occurring naturally in the US (Thomas Labedz, personal communication, as related by Dr. Robert Kaul, Botanist). There was no Wilderness Park trail access from Densmore prior to 2020, and even with trail access, the presence of a territorially singing male was at times challenging to detect so it is possible undetected breeding Scarlet Tanagers may have been there in previous years (Shari Schwartz, John Carlini, personal communication).

Farther south, west of the Missouri River counties, there are summer reports, perhaps of one-year-old straggling migrants or of occasional westerly breeding:  6 Jun 1966 Gage Co, 7 Jun 1963 Jefferson Co, 12 Jun 2001 Gage Co, 13 Jun 2017 Kearney, Buffalo Co, 15 Jun 1954 Gage Co, 15 Jun 1947 Adams Co, and 19 Jun 1975 Clay Co.

Reports in the west and west central are few during breeding season; an adult male was banded at Lake Ogallala, Keith Co 11 Jul 1992 (Brown et al 1996). A singing male “on territory” at Gilbert-Baker RA, Sioux Co 7-9 Jun 1991 (Korpi 1991) and one on 9 Jun 1981 Garden Co were presumably migrants.

• Breeding phenology:
  Nest building: 11- 27 May
  Eggs: 16 May- 21 Jun (Mollhoff 2022)
  Nestlings: 6-22 Jun
  Fledglings: 12 Jun-7 Sep

Fall: summer <<<>>> Oct 4, 6, 7

Later dates are 9 Oct 2023 Douglas Co, 15 Oct 2025 Kimball Co, and 20 Nov 2010 female Douglas Co.

Departure is in late Sep.

There are a number of reports mid-late Jul into Aug away from known breeding areas which are probably early migrants. Immature birds disperse from their natal site within weeks of fledging (Mowbray 2020) and fledglings have been reported in Nebraska as early as 12 Jun (see Breeding Phenology), which would allow time for dispersal from the breeding area. Reports that fit this schedule are 17 Jul 2012 western Custer Co, 18 Jul 2013 Nance Co, 18 Jul 2017 Madison Co, 23 Jul 2023 (2) Jefferson Co, 24 Jul 1997 Stanton Co, 26 Jul 2013 Seward Co, 28 Jul 2020 Thayer Co, 31 Jul 1976 Lancaster Co, 13 Aug 2015 Phelps Co, 17 Aug 2022 Nance Co, and 8 Sep 2021 Nance Co.

The only fall Panhandle reports are 16 Sep 2022 Scotts Bluff Co, 18 Sep 2021 Kimball Co, 24 Sep 1994 Sheridan Co (Silcock and Rosche 1994), and 15 Oct 2025.

• High counts: 5 at Fontenelle Forest 4 Sep 2004.

Comments An unexpected find in Jun-Jul 2026 was a male Summer Tanager on territory at Wilderness Park Densmore Access, Lancaster Co, countersinging with a neighboring Scarlet Tanager whose songs were almost identical to those of the Summer Tanager countersinger and a second local Summer Tanager on a detached territory. These songs can be heard at these links: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/660085985, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/661192506, and https://ebird.org/checklist/S370735038 (Schwartz, Carlini, eBird.org). According to Schwartz (personal communication): “Territorial defense was first observed between the two species on adjacent territories 31 May 2026 when the Summer Tanager responded to the Scarlet Tanager singing a matching song by flying into a disputed cottonwood tree and displacing the Scarlet Tanager to the far side where he silently sat while the Summer Tanager “pickytuck”-called continuously (no singing) until flying away which immediately prompted the Scarlet Tanager to return to his original perch and resume singing.  After that, the two males were observed countersinging on a regular basis and were recorded doing so on seven occasions 2 Jun-24 Jul”. Further details on these encounters are at https://ebird.org/checklist/S376344625.

Images

Abbreviations

CG: Campground
NNF: Nebraska National Forest
NWR: National Wildlife Refuge
RA: Recreation Area
SP: State Park
SRA: State Recreation Area
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum

Literature Cited

AviList Core Team, 2025. AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025.

Bray, T.E. 1994. Habitat utilization by birds in a man-made forest in the Nebraska Sandhills. M.S. thesis, University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Brogie, M.A., and M.J. Mossman. 1983. Spring and summer birds of the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska: An annotated checklist. NBR 51: 44-51.

Brown, C.R., M.B. Brown, P.A. Johnsgard, J. Kren, and W.C. Scharf. 1996. Birds of the Cedar Point Biological Station area, Keith and Garden Counties, Nebraska: Seasonal occurrence and breeding data. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 23: 91-108.

Cink, C.L. 1971. Some interesting summer bird records for Lancaster County in 1970. NBR 39: 58-59.

Cortelyou, R.G. 1982. 1982 (Fifty-second) Spring Occurrence Report. NBR 50: 51-67.

Ford, N.L. 1959. Notes on summer birds of western Nebraska. NBR 27: 6-12.

Jorgensen, J.G. 2012. Birds of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Korpi, R.T. 1991. Spring 1991 Occurrence Report. NBR 59: 63-98.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2001. The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas 1984-1989. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Papers No. 7. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2016. The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas. Bull. Univ. Nebraska State Museum Vol 29. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2022. Nest records of Nebraska birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper Number 9.

Mowbray, T.B. 2020. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.scatan.01.

Rosche, R.C. 1982. Birds of northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, an annotated checklist. Cottonwood Press, Crawford, Nebraska, USA.

Short, L.L., Jr. 1961. Notes on bird distribution in the central Plains. NBR 29: 2-22.

Silcock, W.R., and R.C. Rosche. 1994. Fall Field Report, August-November 1994. NBR 62: 126-149.

Tordoff, H.B. 1950. A hybrid tanager from Minnesota. Wilson Bulletin 62: 3-4.

Tout, W. 1947. Lincoln County birds. Published by the author, North Platte, Nebraska, USA.

Wright, R. 2014. Birding New Jersey and the World; blog 15 May 2014.

Recommended Citation

Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2026. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org

Birds of Nebraska – Online

Updated 11 Sep 2026, map updated 15 Jun 2023