Ramphocelus passerinii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The scarlet-rumped tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) is a passerine bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found from Mexico to Panama. The scarlet-rumped tanager has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831 with its current binomial Ramphocelus passerinii. Based on a 1996 publication, beginning in 1997 the two were split into "Passerini's tanager" (R. passerinii) and "Cherrie's tanager" (R. costaricensis). However, a study published in 2017 refuted their status as separate species and several taxonomic systems soon returned them to their pre-split status as subspecies of the scarlet-rumped tanager. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World made the change in 2023.
The scarlet-rumped tanager is about 15 to 17 cm (6 to 6.5 in) long and weighs 25.5 to 37.0 g (0.90 to 1.3 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic. Males of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely velvety black. Their lower back, rump... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-rumped Tanager sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 1,035 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and July–September
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-rumped Tanager in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 30% in December, the lowest month.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet-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.
8th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Scarlet-rumped Tanager sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 8th at about 50%. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 80%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 80%) and Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Scarlet-rumped Tanager that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Bananaquit (about 50%), Variable Seedeater (about 40%) and Blue-gray Tanager (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scarlet-rumped Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (1,035 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.
