This morning at Kendall Station Road in Norwich,VT, a small number of  
observers, including Ed and Sandy Hack and me, saw a male Scarlet  
Tanager with strikingly bright orange coloration on the body in place  
of the usual red. The wings were black as usual.

Only once before, some years ago, in summer in Plymouth, VT, have I  
seen this unusual orange variant of the Scarlet Tanager.

During the first summer after their hatching year, male Scarlet  
Tanagers regularly show a small number of orange tinged feathers but  
have a predominately red color.

A few standard field guides, such as by Chandler Robbins and David  
Sibley, mention the orange variant, but I've not seen a detailed  
report on the source of this unusual coloration.

George Clark
Norwich, VT

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