Scarlet Tanager

Female Scarlet Tanager was brought to us this weekend after it collided with the rescuer’s car and got stuck in their grill! Miraculously, this bird arrived in relatively decent shape, suffering some severe bruising to one side of the head, an air sac injury and mild dehydration. This patient is eating on her own, the bruising on the head has resolved with medication and rest, and we watching to see how her air sac injury heals. This species mostly eats insects during warmer months when it is in Virginia but as these birds begin to migrate to South America for the winter they will increasingly eat wild fruits as well.