Euphonia gouldi
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The olive-backed euphonia (Euphonia gouldi) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found from Mexico to Panama. The olive-backed euphonia was originally described by Philip Sclater in 1857 with its current binomial Euphonia gouldi (though spelled "Euphonia Gouldi). Sclater chose the specific epithet gouldi to honor the English ornithologist John Gould, "one of the most eminent naturalists of the day", who had collected the type specimen. At the time, the genus Euphonia was a member of the family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers. Multiple studies in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries resulted in Euphonia being reassigned to its present place in the family Fringillidae.
The olive-backed euphonia is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs about 11 to 16 g (0.39 to 0.56 oz). It is a small euphonia with a thick stubby bill. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a yellow forehead; the patch extends to the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 9 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 12 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 16 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-backed Euphonia sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 4,128 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-backed Euphonia in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April to June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive-backed Euphonia sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Olive-backed Euphonia sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 9th at about 30%. The best odds are in Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 60%), Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Cahuita National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Euphonia
The closest relatives of the Olive-backed Euphonia that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (genus Euphonia, Typical Euphonias) are Yellow-throated Euphonia (about 40%), Tawny-capped Euphonia (about 30%) and Yellow-crowned Euphonia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive-backed Euphonia is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (4,128 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.
