Val Thomas, age 10, of Johnson City, Tenn., for his question:

ARE THERE MANY SPECIES OF TANAGERS IN THE UNITED STATES?

Tanager is the common name given to a family of American birds, many of which have bright red, blue or green feathers. While there are 197 species of tanagers, only a few of them live in the United States. Most of the species can be found only in Central and South America.

Best known member of the family is the scarlet tanager. It has a loud, bright song somewhat like that of a robin. It is sometimes called the firebird. It nests in the eastern United States and as far north as New Brunswick.

The summer tanager is a familiar bird that is found in the Southern States. It has rosy red feathers.

The western tanager, or Louisiana tanager, lives in summer from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast. The male has a black back, tail and wings, red head and yellow underpants. The tanagers are helpful because they eat harmful insects. But the western tanager has a great fondness for cherries and may harm cherry orchards.

The tanager builds its frail, saucer shaped nest near the end of a horizontal limb. The female lays three to five bluish green eggs with reddish brown markings.