Summer Tanager, Male (Piranga rubra)

This is a male Summer Tanager (piranga rubra). The Summer Tanager breeds in the USA and northern Mexico. They winter in Central and South America as far south as Bolivia. We see them regularly in Colombia during the North American winter. They feed on insects, bees, wasps and wild fruits. The Summer Tanager was originally classified as a tanager, but recently reclassified and placed in the cardinal family. The adult male of this species is the only North American bird that is entirely red.