Yellow-backed Tanager

Yellow-backed Tanager

Hemithraupis flavicollis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Rio de Janeiro

In 3 days <5%

8 Verified sightings at Rio de Janeiro
719 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-backed Tanager

The yellow-backed tanager (Hemithraupis flavicollis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Panama and every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The yellow-backed tanager was formally described in 1818 by Louis Pierre Vieillot with the binomial Nemosia flavicollis. By 1912 it had been reassigned to its current genus Hemithraupis. The genus name Hemithraupis combines the Ancient Greek words hēmi, meaning "half" or "small" and thraupis, which refers to an unidentified small bird mentioned by Aristotle. In ornithology, it is typically used to refer to tanagers. The specific epithet flavicollis is derived from Latin, meaning "yellow-necked".

The yellow-backed tanager has these 11 subspecies: The yellow-backed tanager is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 11 to 15 g (0.39 to 0.53 oz). It is a smallish tanager with a relatively slender bill. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies H. f. flavicollis have a mostly brownish black head and upper back. Their lower back and rump are bright yellow. Their uppertail coverts... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

Brazil · 2025

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC995251 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:14

Ecuador · 1992

© John V. Moore · XC259556 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:32

Brazil · 2020

© Daniel Mello · XC588818 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
2 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
3 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
4 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
5 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
7 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-backed Tanager in Rio de Janeiro?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Tanager sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 240th most-seen of the 278 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-backed Tanager in Rio de Janeiro?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Tanager in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-backed Tanager?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-backed 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 Rio de Janeiro the best place to see a Yellow-backed Tanager?

Among the best

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Yellow-backed Tanager sightings, Rio de Janeiro ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Niterói (Brazil, under 5%).

Where does the Yellow-backed Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-backed Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Rio de Janeiro (8 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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