Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The northern rough-winged swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) is a small, migratory swallow. It is very similar to the southern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx ruficollis. The genus name, Stelgidopteryx, is from Ancient Greek and means "scraper wing" and the species name, serripennis, is derived from Latin and means "saw feather". In the common name, "rough-winged" refers to the serrated edge feathers on the wing of this bird; this feature would only be apparent when holding this bird.
Six subspecies of the northern rough-winged swallow are currently recognized. Stelgidopteryx serripennis serripennis is the nominate subspecies and can be found to occur in southern Alaska and Canada to the southern United States. They are found to usually winter in southern Florida and from southwestern Mexico to Panama. It was described by Audubon in 1838.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis psammochrous was described by Ludlow Griscom in 1929. It breeds in the southwestern US and winters from central Mexico to Panama. It can be differentiated from the nominate race by being paler, especially on the crown and rump.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis fulvipennis is... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rough-winged Swallow sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 2,865 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 76th most-seen of the 503 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.
March to May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Rough-winged Swallow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 78
Of the 78 parks where we can rate Northern Rough-winged Swallow sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 7th at about 20%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 40%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 40%) and Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (2,865 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.
