Gray-headed Tanager
Gray-headed TanagerGray-headed TanagerGray-headed TanagerGray-headed Tanager

Gray-headed Tanager

Eucometis penicillata

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
355 Verified sightings at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve From 2019 to 2026
9,726 Verified sightings across all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Gray-headed Tanager

The grey-headed tanager (Eucometis penicillata) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, and every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, French Guiana, and Uruguay.

The grey-headed tanager was formally described in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix under the binomial name Tanagra penicillata. Spix did not specify a type locality but this was later designated as Fonte Boa in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. The grey-headed tanager is now the only species in the genus Eucometis that was introduced by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1856. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek eukomēs meaning "with lovely hair". The specific epithet penicillata is from the Latin diminutive of peniculus meaning "brush".

Within the Thraupidae the grey-headed tanager is a member of the subfamily Tachyphoninae and is the sister species to the black-goggled tanager (Trichothraupis melanops). The grey-headed tanager has these seven subspecies

E. p. pallida Berlepsch, 1888 E. p. spodocephalus (Bonaparte, 1853) E. p. stictothorax... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator
LC

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saltator grandis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Black-headed Saltator
LC

Black-headed Saltator

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saltator atriceps

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Blue-gray Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thraupis episcopus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Morelet's Seedeater
LC

Morelet's Seedeater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sporophila morelleti

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Bananaquit
LC

Bananaquit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coereba flaveola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Yellow-winged Tanager

Yellow-winged Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thraupis abbas

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-legged Honeycreeper
LC

Red-legged Honeycreeper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyanerpes cyaneus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Yellow-faced Grassquit
LC

Yellow-faced Grassquit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tiaris olivaceus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue-black Grassquit
LC

Blue-black Grassquit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Volatinia jacarina

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Great-tailed Grackle
LC

Great-tailed Grackle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quiscalus mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Tropical Mockingbird
LC

Tropical Mockingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus gilvus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Social Flycatcher
LC

Social Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiozetetes similis

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
3 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
4 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
5 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
6 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~20%
7 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
8 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
9 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
10 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
13 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
14 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
15 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
16 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
17 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
18 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
20 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
21 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
27 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
28 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
29 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
31 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
32 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
34 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
35 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
36 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
37 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
38 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Insufficient data
39 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Gray-headed Tanager in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Tanager sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, based on 355 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Gray-headed Tanager in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve?

April has the highest sighting rate for Gray-headed Tanager in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.

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