Hepatic Tanager
Hepatic Tanager has surged: up 387% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Hepatic Tanager
The Hepatic Tanager (Piranga flava) is a North American member of the Cardinals & Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–8.5 in long (12–22 cm) — a medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 62 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 4 states, most concentrated in the Sierra Madre Occidental.
- Family
- Cardinalidae · Forest birds
Notable Hepatic Tanager Trends
No notable trend signals for Hepatic Tanager. See the full index history below.
Hepatic Tanager Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Hepatic Tanager is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.02–0.05). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±70.4%, with 20% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
Where the Hepatic Tanager Is Detected
BBS routes recording Hepatic Tanager, sized by most recent count.
Hepatic Tanager Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +133% | 1971 | 27 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| New Mexico | +107% | 1975 | 25 |
| Texas | -75% | 1974 | 6 |
Hepatic Tanager Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -72% | 1975 | 17 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | +78% | 1997 | 4 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +102% | 1971 | 30 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -78% | 1974 | 10 |
Hepatic Tanager Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 387% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.