western tanager
This colorful songbird with the flame orange/red head is a male Western Tanager with his breeding season colorful head. During non-breeding times the red is replaced with yellow that matches the rest of the body. But don’t expect to see male Western Tanager without a red head here. They tend to only show up in our canyon during breeding season.
The body is always a brilliant yellow, with black wings, back and tail. Females are yellow year round but they tend to be a duller yellow than the males.
Primarily insect eaters, Western Tanagers will also eat dried fruit and fresh cut oranges. They also like moving water so if you have a bird bath or a pond you might have a better chance of seeing them.