Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata) or hybrid?, Beatty's Guest Ranch, Miller Canyon, Cochise County

This Flame-colored Tanager was discovered and photographed by Bob Stymeist on 07 April 2011.

Flame-colored Tanager is very rare in the Sky Islands and has been recorded previously in the Chiricahuas, Huachucas and Santa Ritas.  Miller Canyon is one of the best locations for this species.  It has bred several times in Arizona and been observed to hybridize with Western Tanagers.

Flame-colored Tanager hybridizes with Western Tanager and such hybrids have been previously observed in Miller Canyon.  The best way to identify the hybrids is by the pattern of the back and color of the rump, neither of which are really visible here. However, the apparent yellow color of the upper wingbar is not consistent with a pure Flame-colored Tanager which would have white wing bars.  In addition, two other characters are possibly intermediate: the breast appears more yellow than is typical for adult Flame-colored and the white on the undertail feathers is perhaps less extensive. 

Further documentation of this bird is needed to determine its identity completely.  Comments welcome. 

07 April 2011, photo by Bob Stymeist

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