Red-crested Cotinga

Red-crested Cotinga

Ampelion rubrocristatus

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Podocarpus National Park

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

24 Verified sightings at Podocarpus National Park From 2019 to 2026
643 In all 4 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-crested Cotinga

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 →

Sounds

Call0:35

Ecuador · 1998

© Mitch Lysinger · XC260981 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:05

Ecuador · 1992

© Niels Krabbe · XC248606 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wing sound0:23

Bolivia · 2021

© Dante Buzzetti · XC683237 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
2 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
3 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-crested Cotinga in Podocarpus National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-crested Cotinga sighting in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 307th 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.

When is the best time to see a Red-crested Cotinga in Podocarpus National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-crested Cotinga in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Red-crested Cotinga?

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.

Is Podocarpus National Park the best place to see a Red-crested Cotinga?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-crested Cotinga sightings, Podocarpus National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%) and Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, about 10%).

Where does the Red-crested Cotinga sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-crested Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Podocarpus National Park (24 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.

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