Northern Bentbill

Northern Bentbill

Oncostoma cinereigulare

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Calakmul Biosphere Reserve

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

244 Verified sightings at Calakmul Biosphere Reserve From 2019 to 2026
4,750 In all 29 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Northern Bentbill

The northern bentbill (Oncostoma cinereigulare) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

The northern bentbill was originally described in 1857 by Philip Sclater as Todirostrum cinereigulare. Sclater created its current genus Oncostoma in 1862. The northern bentbill is monotypic. It shares genus Oncostoma with the southern bentbill (O. olivaceum); in the early twentieth century at least one author considered them to be conspecific. The two form a superspecies.

The northern bentbill is 9.5 to 10.5 cm (3.7 to 4.1 in) long and weighs about 4.5 to 7 g (0.16 to 0.25 oz). It has a distinctive fairly thick downcurved bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a mostly pale gray head whose crown is slightly darker. Their back, rump, and uppertail coverts are olive. Their wings are dusky with lemon yellow edges on the flight feathers and tips on the coverts; the latter show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky. Their throat and breast are pale gray with olive streaks and their belly pale lemon-yellow... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:27

Guatemala · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC880198 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song1:24

Costa Rica · 2023

© Johan Chaves · XC805766 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

?0:30

Guatemala · 2011

© Doug Knapp · XC77102 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~40%
2 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
3 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
4 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
5 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
8 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
10 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
11 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
14 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
15 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
16 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
17 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
18 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
23 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
24 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
29 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Bentbill in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bentbill sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 244 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 271 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Northern Bentbill in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve?

July

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bentbill in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in March, May and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Northern Bentbill?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Bentbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Calakmul Biosphere Reserve the best place to see a Northern Bentbill?

2nd of 29

Of the 29 parks where we can rate Northern Bentbill sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Northern Bentbill live in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Northern Bentbill that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Social Flycatcher (about 50%), Great Crested Flycatcher (about 40%) and Yellow-olive Flycatcher (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Northern Bentbill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Northern Bentbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (244 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.

← Back to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve