Creurgops verticalis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The rufous-crested tanager (Creurgops verticalis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. The rufous-crested tanager was formally described in 1858 by the English zoologist Philip Sclater based on a specimen collected from the Napo River in eastern Ecuador. Sclater erected the genus Creurgops and described Creurgops verticalis as its only member at the time.
The rufous-crested tanager now shares the genus with the slaty tanager (C. dentatus) and they form a superspecies. It is monotypic. The rufous-crested tanager is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs 21 to 27 g (0.74 to 0.95 oz). It has a heavy beak with a "tooth" at the tip of its maxilla, although this feature is usually only visible when held. The species is sexually dimorphic though not dramatically so. Adult males have a mostly leaden gray head with the eponymous cinnamon-rufous crest; the crest has a thin black border and is seldom raised. Their nape, upperparts, uppertail coverts, wing coverts, and tail are leaden gray. Their flight feathers are dusky with leaden gray edges and their tertials... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crested Tanager sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 342nd most-seen of the 424 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 Rufous-crested Tanager in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-crested 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 Rufous-crested Tanager sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%) and Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-crested Tanager that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager (about 50%), Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager (about 50%) and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-crested Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (19 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.
