Burnished-buff Tanager

Burnished-buff Tanager

Stilpnia cayana

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Recife

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

77 Verified sightings at Recife
2,554 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Burnished-buff Tanager

The burnished-buff tanager (Stilpnia cayana), also known as the rufous-crowned tanager, is a common South American species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the northern Guianas, most of Venezuela, and east-central Colombia; also near the Amazon River outlet in Brazil, as well as most of the east of that country, Paraguay, and northeast Argentina. It also occurs very locally in Bolivia and Peru. It can be seen in virtually any semi-open habitat with trees, including human-altered habitats such as gardens, plantations, and parks.

There are several subspecies of the burnished-buff tanager, falling into two main groups: the northern and western cayana group, and the southern and eastern flava group. The subspecies huberi from Marajó Island is intermediate between the two main groups. Males of the cayana group have an orange-rufous crown, black mask, and cream underparts distinctly tinged blue on the throat and chest. Males of the flava group have an orange-buff crown and buff underparts with a black patch extending from the mask, over the throat and central chest, to the mid-belly. Males of both groups have turquoise wings... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:14

Brazil · 2026

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1162251 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:08

Brazil · 2024

© Robson Silva e Silva · XC1018694 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:29

Colombia · 2022

© Frank Lambert · XC1036459 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
3 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
4 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
5 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
6 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
7 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
8 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
9 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
2 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
3 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
4 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Campinas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
7 Natal 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Maracaibo 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
9 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
10 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Basel Zoo 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
2 California Academy of Sciences 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Aviario Nacional de Colombia 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
4 The Living Planet Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Dallas World Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Butterfly World 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Burnished-buff Tanager in Recife?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Burnished-buff Tanager sighting in Recife on a given day, based on 77 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 90 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Burnished-buff Tanager in Recife?

March

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Burnished-buff Tanager in Recife on a given day, against about 30% in November, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Burnished-buff Tanager?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Burnished-buff 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 Recife the best place to see a Burnished-buff Tanager?

Yes

Of the 17 cities where we can rate Burnished-buff Tanager sightings, Recife has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come João Pessoa (Brazil, about 40%) and Maceió (Brazil, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Burnished-buff Tanager live in Recife?

Same family: Thraupidae

The closest relatives of the Burnished-buff Tanager that you can see in Recife (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Palm Tanager (about 70%), Bananaquit (about 70%) and Sayaca Tanager (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Burnished-buff Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Burnished-buff Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Recife (77 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.

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