This is an adult male, as can be told by the rich black wings and the tiniest dusting of pinky-orange feathers on the head. Male Western Tanager typically have an entirely reddish-orange head during the breeding season, but they lose that bright coloring during their fall molt.
This male had the most striking bill serration I've seen on a tanager. I didn't even really know these guys had bill serrations but here we are. As insect and fruit eaters, I'm sure this structure helps with holding onto their food.
All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey's BBL.
Western Tanager 1 8_6_23 by Stan Lupo
Via Flickr:
Another "life" bird in my son's backyard! Tiburon, CA The male has the "fiery" colors, red throat and supraorbital feathers (derived mainly from insects in the diet), and bright yellow body.