Microchera albocoronata
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The snowcap (Microchera albocoronata) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The nominate was originally described as Mellisuga albo-coronata and the other as Panychlora parvirostris.
The snowcap is 6.5 to 7 cm (2.6 to 2.8 in) long and weighs about 2.7 g (0.095 oz). Both sexes of both subspecies have a short black bill and black legs. Adult males of both subspecies have the white forehead and crown that give this species its English and scientific names. Males of the nominate subspecies have dark purple upperparts with a purplish black nape and a reddish gloss on the back, rump, and uppertail coverts. Their face and underparts are black with a reddish purple gloss. Their central tail feathers are metallic bronze and the rest have white bases and black ends. Males of M. a. parvirostris differ by having less white on the tail feathers and a brighter coppery purple gloss to their upper- and underparts. Adult females of both subspecies have a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowcap sighting in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, based on 418 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 136th most-seen of the 505 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Snowcap in Braulio Carrillo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November and December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snowcap sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Snowcap sightings, Braulio Carrillo National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snowcap is recorded against all the birds logged in Braulio Carrillo National Park (418 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.
