Ampelion rubrocristatus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The red-crested cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The red-crested cotinga is monotypic. It shares genus Ampelion with the chestnut-crested cotinga (A. rufaxilla). Early in the twentieth century some authors had placed both of them in genus Heliochera, which no longer exists.
The red-crested cotinga is 20.5 to 22 cm (8.1 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 47 to 80 g (1.7 to 2.8 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a dark gray head with a long chestnut-maroon crest which is usually held flat against the nape. Their body is gray and their wings and tail mostly a darker gray. Their upper- and undertail coverts, rump, and vent area have variable amounts of white streaking. The underside of their tail has a white band near the end. They have a deep red iris, a bill with an ivory-white or pale gray base and blackish gray tip, and black or dark gray legs and feet. Immatures are overall paler than adults due to pale fringes on their feathers.
The red-crested cotinga has a disjunct distribution. It is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-crested Cotinga sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 316 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 139th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, May, July, September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-crested Cotinga in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June, August, October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-crested Cotinga sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-crested Cotinga sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%).
Same family: Cotingidae
The closest relatives of the Red-crested Cotinga that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (about 10%), Green-and-black Fruiteater (about 10%) and Barred Becard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-crested Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (316 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.
