Birds of Petrified Forest Ornament: Western Tanager

Petrified Forest National Park is situated in a high-desert grassland, preserving 50,260 acres of wilderness.  Many forms of wildlife make their homes in the Petrified Forest, including hundreds of species of resident and migratory birds.

This series of ornaments celebrates some of the most commonly spotted birds in the park.

The males of this medium-sized species (Piranga ludoviciana) are bright yellow with black wings and a reddish head.

Unlike most red birds that get their red colors from plant carotenoids, Western Tanagers’ hue comes from a rare pigment called rhodoxanthin, obtained from insects in their diet.

They are summer residents of Petrified Forest National Park.