Heterospingus xanthopygius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The scarlet-browed tanager (Heterospingus xanthopygius) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The scarlet-browed tanager was formally described in 1855 with the binomial Tachyphonus xanthopygius. It now shares the genus Heterospingus with the sulphur-rumped tanager (H. rubrifrons). Some twentieth century authors treated them as conspecific but they are significantly different in morphology and genetics. They form a superspecies.
The scarlet-browed tanager is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long; two males weighed 38 and 39.5 g (1.3 and 1.4 oz). It is a large tanager with a heavy bill that has a slight hook at the tip. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are mostly sooty black. They have a supercilium that begins thinly with white and broadens to scarlet; the scarlet forms a tuft behind the eye. They have a bright yellow rump, bright yellow lesser upperwing coverts that are usually hidden, a slate... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-browed Tanager sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-browed Tanager in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet-browed Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Scarlet-browed Tanager sightings, Darién National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Utría National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Scarlet-browed Tanager that you can see in Darién National Park (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Bananaquit (about 30%), Bay-headed Tanager (about 20%) and Blue Dacnis (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scarlet-browed Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (104 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
