Brilliance

Birds capture our imagination because they can fly, they can sing, and because they are beautiful. Some birds in particular are capable of reawakening our childlike enthusiasm, leaving us speechless and in awe.

One of these moments happened today, when we were treated with one of the most spectacular of all North American birds, a Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Although we had detected this species multiple times on transects through our study site, we had not captured one. Finally, our dreams came true.

This particular bird is a second-year male. If you look closely, you can see the molt-limit on his wing, where the more worn, dull gray primary coverts contrast with the fresher, velvety black of the greater, median, and lesser coverts. Wintering primarily in South America, in summer the Scarlet Tanager brings its tropical brilliance to broadleaf forests across eastern North America. 

Closer inspection revealed that he had burned all of his fat reserves and had begun to catabolize his breast muscle. In order to continue his journey northward and successfully breed, he will have to regain much of what he has lost. Whether he does that here on St. George Island is one of the questions we are here to answer.