Bird Guide

Red-headed Tanager vs White-winged Tanager

Red-headed Tanager (Piranga erythrocephala)

Red-headed Tanager

Piranga erythrocephala

Small22 gForest

The red-headed tanager is approximately 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs 19.9 to 24.5 g (0.70 to 0.86 oz). The nominate male's forecrown, face, throat and upper chest are red and the rest of the upperparts bright yellow-olive. The rest of the underparts are olive-yellow. It has a narrow black mask. The female's forecrown is yellow and the rest of her upperparts yellow-olive. The throat and chest are yellow that fades to buffy white toward the vent area. The juvenile male looks like a bright female. P. e. candida is similar to the nominate but duller and darker. Voice: The red-headed tanager's song is "a long, slow ...'chur chew che-wier chéé-chur wee chur cheer chéé-chur ...'" or "tsi-tsi tsee-tsee". It has several calls.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Nigel Voaden, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
White-winged Tanager (Piranga leucoptera)

White-winged Tanager

Piranga leucoptera

Small16 gForest

The white-winged tanager is approximately 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 13 to 20 g (0.46 to 0.71 oz). The nominate male is mostly red, with a black "mask" and black wings with white wing bars. The female is dull olive-yellow, but retains the black wings and white wing bars. The juvenile is similar to the female, but duller. The male P. l. latifasciata is darker red and the female a more intense yellow; both sexes have broader white wing bars. The male P. l. venezuelae differs from the nominate only in having a smaller "mask". P. l. Voice: The white-winged tanager's song is "a thin, wiry 'e-seé-se-whéét'" . It has a variety of calls .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-winged Tanager
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: Filo de Chumbiriatza, tepui 4.5 km SW Las Orchideas, above "Cabañas Yankuam", Nangaritza Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Adam Jackson · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Red-headed Tanager and White-winged Tanager.