Scarlet Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

     Some species of birds that spend northern winters in Central and South America come north to nest early in spring, arriving suddenly in waves in the Middle Atlantic States by late April and the first two weeks of May.  Some of the bird families involved in that great push north include warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, and a couple kinds each of orioles, tanagers and grosbeaks.  Those birds suddenly present a richness of bright colors, color patterns, and bird songs that were not heard until this time of year. 
     Scarlet tanagers and rose-breasted grosbeaks are unrelated birds that have certain traits in common.  Both species nest in deciduous forests in the northeastern United States, but in different niches in those woods.  And the tanagers spend northern winters in northwestern South America, while the grosbeaks winter in Central America and northern South America.  Males of both kinds have brilliant plumages with much red and black in each species, while their mates have camouflaged feathering.  Males of many kinds of birds have gaudy feathers in their plumages to intimidate other males of their various kinds away from their breeding territories and to attract females of their respective species to them for nesting. And, most of all, coincidentally, male scarlet tanagers and male rose-breasted grosbeaks sing American robin-like songs, but the tanagers have raspy voices, while the songs of grosbeaks are sweeter and more melodious than those of robins.  The songs of these birds alert birders to their presence in treetops and help in identification of those species.
     Male scarlet tanagers are red with black wings and tails in summer.  Their mates and the young of the year are yellow-green for camouflage among tree leaves with darker wings and tails.  But because tanagers nest and feed mostly in treetops, in larger, upland oak woods, they are not easy to spot in the foliage of the canopy.  They are mostly voices in the woods, most often noticed by their hoarse "chp-burr" call notes.
     Male rose-breasted grosbeaks have black heads, wings and tails, white bellies and red chests.  There also is white barring on their wings.  Females and young of the year are brown above and lighter below with streaking on their under parts.  This type of grosbeak raises young in nests high in trees in moist, bottom land woods near fields and other open areas.  They, too, are often mere voices in the woods that give away their presence.     
      Scarlet tanager and rose-breasted grosbeak females both build nests of twigs, plant fibers and grass, but in different ways, on twigs high in the tree tops.  They each lay speckled eggs, which blend into the nest colors, hindering crows and jays from finding the eggs to eat.
     During the summer breeding season, both the tanagers and grosbeaks eat a variety of forest invertebrates and feed them to their young in the nest.  They catch most of their food among the tree tops, but could snare it at any level in the woods, as well.
     Scarlet tanagers and rose-breasted grosbeaks are two of the many species of neotropical birds that migrate north from Central and South America to nest in North America where there is less competition for nesting space and food.  They bring with them beautiful feathering and new songs.  But by fall, most of these birds are moving south where they can find ample food without the threat of ice and snow that would cover that sustenance.