Sporophila corvina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The variable seedeater (Sporophila corvina) is a passerine bird which breeds from southern Mexico through Central America to the Chocó of northwestern South America. The taxonomy is confusing, and it was formerly considered a subspecies of Sporophila americana (see Taxonomy). Even within the variable seedeater as presently defined, there are great variations in plumage.
The variable seedeater is a small, robust bird with a black conical bill. It is 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 11 g (0.39 oz). Adult males are entirely black apart from a small white wing-speculum and white wing linings.
Males resemble males S. c. corvina, but with white half-collar, rump and belly (the rump often intermixed with grey and the flanks retain some black mottling or barring). Males resemble S. c... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Seedeater sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 8,783 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to September
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Seedeater in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 40% in October and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Seedeater sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Variable Seedeater sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 4th at about 50%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%), Chagres National Park (Panama, about 50%) and Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Sporophila
The closest relatives of the Variable Seedeater that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (genus Sporophila, Typical Seedeaters and Seed-Finches) are Morelet's Seedeater (about 10%) and Thick-billed Seed-Finch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Seedeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (8,783 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.
