Ramphocelus nigrogularis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The masked crimson tanager (Ramphocelus nigrogularis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.
The masked crimson tanager was first described by German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix in 1825. Its species name is derived from the Latin words niger "black", and gularis "throated". It is one of nine species of brightly coloured tanagers of the genus Ramphocelus. Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates its closest relative is the crimson-backed tanager (R. dimidiatus), and the two split around 800,000 years ago.
Measuring 18 to 19 cm (7 to 7.5 in) in length, the adult male has a black face, wings, mantle, belly and tail, and is a bright red elsewhere in its plumage. The bill has a silver sheen. The female resembles the male but has a brownish belly and duller plumage overall, while the juvenile is duller still. It resembles the vermilion tanager (Calochaetes coccineus) but the latter lives at higher altitudes.
The masked crimson tanager makes a high-pitched single note variously transcribed as tchlink or "tink", and a simple melody often sung at dawn. The masked crimson tanager is found across Amazonia and is abundant. It prefers to dwell near bodies of water such as lakes, swamps or rivers, generally at altitudes below 600 m (2,000 ft). Masked crimson tanagers move about in troops of 10 to 12 birds. The species can form mixed species flocks with the silver-beaked tanager (Ramphocelus carbo). It is frugivorous (fruit-eating). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eindhoven Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Crimson Tanager sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 513 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 140th most-seen of the 641 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May and December–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Crimson Tanager in Manu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, April and June–November, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked Crimson 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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Masked Crimson Tanager sightings, Manu National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Amacayacu National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 20%) and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked Crimson Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Manu National Park (513 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.
