Heterospingus rubrifrons
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The sulphur-rumped tanager (Heterospingus rubrifrons) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The sulphur-rumped tanager was formally described in 1865 with the binomial Tachyphonus rubrifrons. In 1898 Robert Ridgway erected genus Heterospingus with the sulphur-rumped tanager as the type species. The sulphur-rumped tanager shares the genus with the scarlet-browed tanager (H. xanthopygius). Some twentieth century authors treated them as conspecific but they are significantly different in morphology and genetics. They form a superspecies.
The sulphur-rumped tanager is monotypic. The sulphur-rumped tanager is 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs 36 to 40 g (1.3 to 1.4 oz). It is a large tanager with a heavy bill that has a slight hook at the tip. The species is slightly sexually dimorphic. Adult males have a dark leaden gray head, neck, and back, a yellow rump, and olive-green uppertail coverts. Their wings and tail are dusky. Their throat and underparts are mostly a paler gray than the upperparts with white pectoral tufts and olive-green undertail coverts. Adult females are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sulphur-rumped Tanager sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 595th most-seen of the 657 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sulphur-rumped Tanager in La Amistad International Park (Panama) 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 Sulphur-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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Sulphur-rumped Tanager sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Chagres National Park (Panama, under 5%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, under 5%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Sulphur-rumped Tanager that you can see in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Blue-gray Tanager (about 50%), Scarlet-rumped Tanager (about 40%) and Bananaquit (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sulphur-rumped Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (17 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.
