Ramphocelus dimidiatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The crimson-backed tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela, and introduced to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. A nickname in Panama is sangre de toro ("Blood of the bull").
The crimson-backed tanager was first described by French naturalist Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1837. It is one of nine species of brightly coloured tanagers of the genus Ramphocelus. Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates its closest relative is the masked crimson tanager (R. nigrogularis), and the two split around 800,000 years ago.
Measuring around 18 cm (7.1 in) in length, the adult male has a silver sheen on its lower mandible. Its whole head and chest are a maroon red, brightening to a bright red on its lower back and abdomen. Its wings and tail are black. The female is duller with blackish underparts.
It is found in northern and western Colombia (south to Chocó where it is uncommon), the Maracaibo Basin in Venezuela, and over most of Panama, where it extends to Chiriquí and Veraguas Provinces in the west of the country, as well as Coiba, where it is abundant, and Pearl Islands. It inhabits forest, scrub and gardens.
A nest with a clutch of two blue eggs with fine dark dots has been recorded. A field study on blood parasites found that two individual crimson-backed tanagers (out of twelve tested) bore Plasmodium, with the study concluding the overall rate was low compared with studies done elsewhere. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 10 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 3 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 4 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-backed Tanager sighting in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, based on 290 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 138th most-seen of the 542 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-backed Tanager in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson-backed 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.
9th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Crimson-backed Tanager sightings, Farallones de Cali National Natural Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Chagres National Park (Panama, about 70%), Coiba National Park (Panama, about 60%) and Parque Natural Metropolitano (Panama, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Ramphocelus
The closest relatives of the Crimson-backed Tanager that you can see in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (genus Ramphocelus, Silver-billed Tanagers) are Flame-rumped Tanager (about 70%) and Lemon-rumped Tanager (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crimson-backed Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (290 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.
