Blue-gray Tanager

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

Likely. About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 685 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

October and November. In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito on a given day, against about 20% in June and July, the lowest months.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

Between 1 and 4 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-gray Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Quito the best place to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

15th of 21. Of the 21 cities where we can rate Blue-gray Tanager sightings, Quito ranks 15th at about 40%. The best odds are in Valencia (Venezuela, about 90%), Medellín (Colombia, about 90%) and Cali (Colombia, about 90%).

Q: Which relatives of the Blue-gray Tanager live in Quito?

Same family: Thraupidae. The closest relatives of the Blue-gray Tanager that you can see in Quito (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Black Flowerpiercer (about 60%), Cinereous Conebill (about 50%) and Masked Flowerpiercer (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Q: Where does the Blue-gray Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Blue-gray Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (685 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Thraupis episcopus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyThraupidae (Tanagers and Allies)
GenusThraupis (Typical Tanagers)
SpeciesThraupis episcopus (Blue-gray Tanager)

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

at Quito

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

685 Verified sightings at Quito

79,183 In all 67 parks From 2019 to 2026

October Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Blue-gray Tanager

The blue-gray tanager (Thraupis episcopus) is a medium-sized South American songbird of the tanager family, Thraupidae. Its range is from Mexico south to northeast Bolivia and northern Brazil, all of the Amazon Basin, except the very south. It has been introduced to Lima (Peru) and Florida (United States). On Trinidad and Tobago, this bird is called blue jean.

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the blue-gray tanager in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Brazil. He used the French name L'evesque and the Latin name Episcopus avis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognized by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson in his Ornithologie. One of these was the blue-gray tanager. Linnaeus included a terse description, coined the binomial name Tanagra episcopus, and cited Brisson's work. The specific name episcopus is Latin for "bishop". It was placed in the genus Thraupis... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:14

Brazil · 2026

Song0:11

Ecuador · 2010

Aberrant0:13

Ecuador · 2025

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 25 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Poás Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~80%
2	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~70%
3	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~70%
4	Henri Pittier National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	~70%
5	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~70%
6	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~70%
7	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	~70%
8	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~70%
9	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	~60%
10	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~60%
11	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
12	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	~50%
13	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~50%
14	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
15	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~50%
16	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
17	Los Quetzales National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
18	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
19	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
20	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~40%
21	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
22	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
23	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	~40%
24	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
25	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	~40%
26	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	~40%
27	Volcán Barú National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~40%
28	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
29	Cusuco National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	~40%
30	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	~40%
31	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~40%
32	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~40%
33	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~40%
34	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~40%
35	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~30%
36	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~30%
37	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~30%
38	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~30%
39	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
40	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
41	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~30%
42	Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	🇧🇿 Belize	~20%
43	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~20%
44	Rincón de la Vieja National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
45	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~20%
46	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	~20%
47	Podocarpus National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~20%
48	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	~20%
49	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~20%
50	Brownsberg Nature Park	🇸🇷 Suriname	~20%
51	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~10%
52	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
53	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
54	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
55	El Triunfo	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
56	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
57	Los Nevados National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~10%
58	Chingaza National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
59	La Tigra National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
60	Irazú Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
61	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
62	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
63	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	<5%
64	Chapada dos Guimarães National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
65	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
66	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
67	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Valencia	🇻🇪 Venezuela	~90%
2	Medellín	🇨🇴 Colombia	~90%
3	Cali	🇨🇴 Colombia	~90%
4	Caracas	🇻🇪 Venezuela	~90%
5	Guayaquil	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~90%
6	San José	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~80%
7	Belém	🇧🇷 Brazil	~80%
8	Managua	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	~70%
9	Manaus	🇧🇷 Brazil	~70%
10	Maracaibo	🇻🇪 Venezuela	~70%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	North Carolina Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Brookfield Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Sedgwick County Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
5	Parque Municipal Summit	🇵🇦 Panama	In captivity
6	Louisville Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Berlin Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
8	Woodland Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
9	Houston Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	San Antonio Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
11	Philadelphia Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
12	Ueno Zoo	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
13	El Paso Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Lincoln Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
15	Aviario Nacional de Colombia	🇨🇴 Colombia	In captivity
16	Como Park Zoo and Conservatory	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
17	Como Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	The Living Planet Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
19	Staten Island Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
20	Tracy Aviary	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
21	Central Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
22	Parque museo La Venta	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
23	Aquarium Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
24	Dallas World Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
25	National Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity

Show all 25 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Quito

Diglossa humeralis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Conirostrum cinereum

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Diglossa cyanea

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Rauenia bonariensis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Sicalis flaveola

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Diglossa sittoides

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Catamenia analis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Catamenia inornata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Thlypopsis ornata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sporophila nigricollis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sporophila luctuosa

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Anisognathus igniventris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 685 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

October and November

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito on a given day, against about 20% in June and July, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-gray Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Quito the best place to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

15th of 21

Of the 21 cities where we can rate Blue-gray Tanager sightings, Quito ranks 15th at about 40%. The best odds are in Valencia (Venezuela, about 90%), Medellín (Colombia, about 90%) and Cali (Colombia, about 90%).

Which relatives of the Blue-gray Tanager live in Quito?

Same family: Thraupidae

The closest relatives of the Blue-gray Tanager that you can see in Quito (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Black Flowerpiercer (about 60%), Cinereous Conebill (about 50%) and Masked Flowerpiercer (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Blue-gray Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blue-gray Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (685 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Quito

Blue-gray Tanager

About the Blue-gray Tanager

Sounds

Recent sightings of Blue-gray Tanager in Quito

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Quito

Black Flowerpiercer

Cinereous Conebill

Masked Flowerpiercer

Blue-and-yellow Tanager

Saffron Finch

Rusty Flowerpiercer

Band-tailed Seedeater

Plain-colored Seedeater

Rufous-chested Tanager

Yellow-bellied Seedeater

Black-and-white Seedeater

Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Tanager in Quito?

What time of day is best to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

Is Quito the best place to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

Which relatives of the Blue-gray Tanager live in Quito?

Where does the Blue-gray Tanager sighting chance come from?