Western Tanager perched on a weathered branch against a soft green background.

Orioles & Tanagers

Bright summer birds with bold color, sweet songs, and surprising diets.

How to Notice Orioles and Tanagers

Where to Find Them

Look in leafy places with insects, fruit, flowers, and open perches—cottonwoods, parks, orchards, riparian corridors, foothill edges, and backyard trees. Southern Utah can add even more variety.

What to Watch For

Watch for flashes of yellow, orange, black, and red moving through the canopy. Orioles may visit nectar, suet, fruit, or insects, while tanagers often appear higher in trees.

Listen Closely

Western Tanagers often sound sweeter and cleaner, while orioles can bring a more raspy, rolling quality. Early morning is one of the best times to hear and see both groups active.

Orioles & Tanagers

Some bird weeks feel quiet and subtle. This is not one of them.

Western Tanagers are often the first bird in this group that truly stops people in their tracks. A flash of yellow high in the trees. A glowing red-orange face catching morning light. A sweet song drifting down from the canopy before the day has fully warmed up.

They can stay surprisingly high and hidden, but once you learn their voice and glowing color pattern, western tanagers become one of the most rewarding summer birds to notice in Utah.

Western Tanager perched close on a branch showing yellow body, orange-red face, and black wings.
Western Tanager A bright summer arrival—often high in the trees, but unforgettable when it steps into view.

Orioles Up Close

Orioles feel different than tanagers the moment you start watching them closely. They are louder, more social around feeders, and often much easier to observe in backyards and neighborhood trees.

They also have one of the widest diets of almost any colorful backyard bird in Utah. Orioles may visit nectar feeders, oranges, jelly, suet blocks, and still spend much of the day chasing insects through trees and shrubs.

This is also a great family for noticing dimorphism. Males often glow with bold orange and black patterns, while females can look softer and more subtle with yellow and gray tones that blend beautifully into summer foliage.

Bullock's Oriole drinking nectar from a colorful hummingbird feeder.
Bullock's Oriole Orioles regularly visit nectar feeders and backyard feeding stations throughout the summer.
Female Bullock's Oriole hanging upside down on a suet feeder while feeding in a backyard setting.
Female Bullock's Oriole Females trade the bold orange-and-black contrast for softer yellow tones while still sharing the same surprisingly flexible diet.

More Variety Down South

Utah’s main summer cast already gives birders plenty to enjoy, but southern Utah adds another layer to the story.

Scott’s Oriole, Hooded Oriole, and Summer Tanager are all birds that feel more tied to the southern edge of the state. They are harder targets for many Utah birders, but that makes them especially exciting when you are birding around St. George, desert washes, palms, or warm riparian pockets.

This week is a reminder that some of the brightest birds in North America pass right through Utah every summer—if you know when and where to look.

Male Hooded Oriole perched among bare branches with bright orange body, black throat, and white wing patch.
Hooded Oriole One of Utah’s southern specialties—bright, bold, and more likely in the warm desert edge habitats around St. George.

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