Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, USA (B).
Vagrant to Netherlands Antilles.
Breeds southern Alaska, and western Canada (from British Columbia and southern Mackenzie, northern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan) southern in western USA (east to Wyoming and central Colorado) to south-western California, southern Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas, and extreme north-western Mexico (northern Baja California). Migrates to mountains of western Mexico (from Jalisco and southern Tamaulipas) southern locally to Costa Rica and, rarely, western Panama.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 8,900,000 (2010).
Western Tanager (Piranga) [XC749549]
by Ned Bohman from Antelope Valley Road, Tahoe National Forest (near Loyalton), Sierra, California, United States (dawn song)
Western Tanager (Piranga) [XC369965]
by from Stoner Mesa, San Juan NF, Dolores County, Colorado, United States (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Molecular-genetic evidence indicates that this genus forms a monophyletic group with Habia and Chlorothraupis, and that all three are more closely related to cardinals (Cardinalidae) than to true tanagers. This species has in the past been regarded as most closely related to Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), in part because of limited hybridization with that species, but cladistic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b gene) indicates that the two are not each other's closest relative. Present species appears to be most closely related to Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata) and the "Red Tanager (Piranga flava) group", the three forming a phylogenetic clade. Further, vocalizations and several plumage characteristics support close relationship with Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata), and the two are known to hybridize. Birds from Texas, described as subspecies zephyrica, considered to fall within the range of variation of the population as a whole.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet