Blue-gray Tanager

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

Very likely. About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager sighting in San José on a given day, based on 17,778 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

March–April and June. In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager in San José on a given day, against about 70% in January, the lowest month.

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 San José the best place to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

6th of 21. Of the 21 cities where we can rate Blue-gray Tanager sightings, San José ranks 6th at about 80%. The best odds are in Valencia (Venezuela, about 90%), Medellín (Colombia, about 90%) and Cali (Colombia, about 90%).

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 San José (17,778 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 ~80% · Very likely

at San José

In 3 days >90%

17,778 Verified sightings at San José

79,183 In all 67 parks From 2019 to 2026

March 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 San José

Thraupis palmarum

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Saltator grandis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Saltator maximus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Volatinia jacarina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sporophila morelleti

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Saltator atriceps

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Sporophila corvina

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tiaris olivaceus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ramphocelus passerinii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Coereba flaveola

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Stilpnia larvata

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 San José?

Very likely

About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager sighting in San José on a given day, based on 17,778 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

March–April and June

In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-gray Tanager in San José on a given day, against about 70% in January, the lowest month.

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 San José the best place to see a Blue-gray Tanager?

6th of 21

Of the 21 cities where we can rate Blue-gray Tanager sightings, San José ranks 6th at about 80%. The best odds are in Valencia (Venezuela, about 90%), Medellín (Colombia, about 90%) and Cali (Colombia, about 90%).

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 San José (17,778 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 San José

Blue-gray Tanager

About the Blue-gray Tanager

Sounds

Recent sightings of Blue-gray Tanager in San José

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at San José

Palm Tanager

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

Buff-throated Saltator

Blue-black Grassquit

Morelet's Seedeater

Black-headed Saltator

Variable Seedeater

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Bananaquit

Golden-hooded Tanager

Before you go

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

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

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

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

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