Scarlet-browed Tanager

Scarlet-browed Tanager

Heterospingus xanthopygius

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Utría National Natural Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

21 Verified sightings at Utría National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
249 In all 3 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Scarlet-browed Tanager

The scarlet-browed tanager (Heterospingus xanthopygius) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The scarlet-browed tanager was formally described in 1855 with the binomial Tachyphonus xanthopygius. It now shares the genus Heterospingus with the sulphur-rumped tanager (H. rubrifrons). Some twentieth century authors treated them as conspecific but they are significantly different in morphology and genetics. They form a superspecies.

The scarlet-browed tanager is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long; two males weighed 38 and 39.5 g (1.3 and 1.4 oz). It is a large tanager with a heavy bill that has a slight hook at the tip. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are mostly sooty black. They have a supercilium that begins thinly with white and broadens to scarlet; the scarlet forms a tuft behind the eye. They have a bright yellow rump, bright yellow lesser upperwing coverts that are usually hidden, a slate... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:00

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1103894 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:18

Ecuador · 1999

© Patricio Mena Valenzuela · XC275664 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dawn song0:28

Ecuador · 1997

© Olaf Jahn · XC262651 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
2 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
3 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Scarlet-browed Tanager in Utría National Natural Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-browed Tanager sighting in Utría National Natural Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 53rd most-seen of the 154 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Scarlet-browed Tanager in Utría National Natural Park?

March

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-browed Tanager in Utría National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, July, September and November, the lowest months. April, June and December have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Scarlet-browed Tanager?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet-browed Tanager sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Utría National Natural Park the best place to see a Scarlet-browed Tanager?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Scarlet-browed Tanager sightings, Utría National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Darién National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Scarlet-browed Tanager live in Utría National Natural Park?

Same family: Thraupidae

The closest relatives of the Scarlet-browed Tanager that you can see in Utría National Natural Park (family Thraupidae, Tanagers and Allies) are Flame-rumped Tanager (about 50%), Bananaquit (about 30%) and Blue-gray Tanager (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Scarlet-browed Tanager sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Scarlet-browed Tanager is recorded against all the birds logged in Utría National Natural Park (21 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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