Tangara dowii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The spangle-cheeked tanager (Tangara dowii) is a medium-sized passerine bird. This tanager is an endemic resident breeder in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. Formerly considered conspecific with the green-naped tanager, it is now known that these two species differ geographically and genetically.
It is common from about 1,200 to 3,000 m (3,900 to 9,800 ft) altitude in the canopy of epiphyte-laden wet mountain forests, and at lower levels in semi-open areas like clearings with trees, second growth and woodland edges. The bulky cup nest, lined with bromeliad leaves, is built in a tree fork or on a branch high amongst the epiphytes. The normal clutch is two eggs.
The adult spangle-cheeked tanager is 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 20 g (0.71 oz). It has a mainly black head, upperparts and breast, with blue scaling on the breast, sides of the face and neck, and a rufous crown patch. The wings and tail have blue edgings. The rump is green and the belly is cinnamon. The sexes are very similar, but adult males have more extensive blue scaling. Immatures are generally duller, with no crown patch, and less distinct blue scaling.
Spangle-cheeked tanagers occur in pairs, family groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock (particularly those containing common bush tanagers). They eat small fruit, usually swallowed whole, insects and spiders.
The spangle-cheeked tanager's call is a high tsip. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spangle-cheeked Tanager sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 1,133 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 467 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.
June to September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spangle-cheeked Tanager in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, against about 10% in October to May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spangle-cheeked 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.
5th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Spangle-cheeked Tanager sightings, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 20%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same genus: Tangara
The closest relatives of the Spangle-cheeked Tanager that you can see in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (genus Tangara, Tangara Tanagers) are Silver-throated Tanager (about 20%), Bay-headed Tanager (about 20%) and Emerald Tanager (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spangle-cheeked Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (1,133 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.
