Ramphocelus passerinii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The scarlet-rumped tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) is a passerine bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found from Mexico to Panama. The scarlet-rumped tanager has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831 with its current binomial Ramphocelus passerinii. Based on a 1996 publication, beginning in 1997 the two were split into "Passerini's tanager" (R. passerinii) and "Cherrie's tanager" (R. costaricensis). However, a study published in 2017 refuted their status as separate species and several taxonomic systems soon returned them to their pre-split status as subspecies of the scarlet-rumped tanager. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World made the change in 2023.
The scarlet-rumped tanager is about 15 to 17 cm (6 to 6.5 in) long and weighs 25.5 to 37.0 g (0.90 to 1.3 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic. Males of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely velvety black. Their lower back, rump... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-rumped Tanager sighting in San José on a given day, based on 288 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 163rd most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-rumped Tanager in San José on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet-rumped 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.
Only San José, in our data
San José is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Scarlet-rumped Tanager sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Scarlet-rumped Tanager that you can see in San José (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Blue-gray Tanager (about 80%), Cinnamon-bellied Saltator (about 50%) and Palm Tanager (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scarlet-rumped Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in San José (288 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.
