Amblycercus holosericeus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The yellow-billed cacique (Amblycercus holosericeus) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The yellow-billed cacique was formally described in 1830 with the binomial Sturnus holosericieus. In 1851 Jean Cabanis erected the genus Amblycercus with it as the type species. For part of the twentieth century it was assigned to genus Cacicus but by the end of the century had been firmly placed back in Amblycercus. It is basal to the oropendolas and caciques but is not closely related to any of them.
The yellow-billed cacique is the only member of its genus and has these three subspecies: Amblycercus holosericeus holosericeus (Deppe, 1830) Amblycercus holosericeus flavirostris Chapman, 1915 Amblycercus holosericeus australis Chapman, 1919
Some authors have suggested that A. h. australis might warrant full species status. The Clements taxonomy draws some distinction within the species, calling A. h. australis the "yellow-billed cacique (Chapman's)" and grouping the other two subspecies as the "yellow-billed cacique (Prevost's)".
Yellow... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Cacique sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 828 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 189th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, May and August–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Cacique in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–July and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-billed Cacique sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 40
Of the 40 parks where we can rate Yellow-billed Cacique sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 30%), Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-billed Cacique that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Montezuma Oropendola (about 70%), Melodious Blackbird (about 50%) and Baltimore Oriole (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-billed Cacique is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (828 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.
