Tephrophilus wetmorei
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The masked mountain tanager (Tephrophilus wetmorei) is a vulnerable species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Tephrophilus. This large and colourful tanager is endemic to elfin forest, woodland and shrub in the Andean highlands of southern Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. It is generally rare or uncommon, and is threatened by habitat loss.
The masked mountain tanager was formally described in 1934 by the American ornithologist Robert Thomas Moore from a specimen collected at the base of the Sangay volcano in Ecuador. He introduced a new monospecific genus Tephrophilus to give the binomial name Tephrophilus wetmorei. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek tephra meaning "ashes" (i.e. volcano) and philos meaning "-loving". The specific epithet was chosen to honour the ornithologist Alexander Wetmore. The species was subsequently placed in the genus Buthraupis but when a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found Buthraupis was polyphyletic, the masked mountain tanager was returned to the resurrected genus Tephrophilus. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The masked mountain... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Mountain-Tanager sighting in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 294th most-seen of the 446 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Mountain-Tanager in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked Mountain-Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Masked Mountain-Tanager sightings, Podocarpus National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Thraupidae
The closest relatives of the Masked Mountain-Tanager that you can see in Podocarpus National Park (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager (about 40%), Masked Flowerpiercer (about 40%) and Blue-necked Tanager (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked Mountain-Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Podocarpus National Park (27 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.
