Icterus prosthemelas
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The black-cowled oriole (Icterus prosthemelas) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is common and widespread in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to western Panama. It lives primarily in humid or semihumid forest, as well as in clearings, along forest edges, in plantations, in semi-open areas with scattered trees and bushes, and in gardens. The adult male is black, with yellow on the belly, shoulder, rump, wing lining, and crissum. The female's plumage varies depending on location. In the south of its range, it is similar to that of the male. In the north, its crown and upperparts are olive-yellow, while its face, throat, upper breast, wings, and tail are black.
It forages mostly at mid-levels, and its diet includes a mix of arthropods, nectar and fruit. The female lays three eggs in a shallow pendent nest, which is stitched to the underside of a large leaf. Both parents defend the nest, and brood and feed the young. Due to its very large range and apparently stable population, it is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a species of least concern.
First described by Hugh Strickland in 1850, the black-cowled oriole has at times been considered conspecific with several oriole species from the Greater Antilles. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cowled Oriole sighting in Carara National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 386th most-seen of the 414 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cowled Oriole in Carara National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-cowled Oriole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
24th of 25
Of the 25 parks where we can rate Black-cowled Oriole sightings, Carara National Park ranks 24th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 30%), Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 20%).
Same genus: Icterus
The closest relatives of the Black-cowled Oriole that you can see in Carara National Park (genus Icterus, New World Orioles) are Baltimore Oriole (about 30%) and Streak-backed Oriole (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-cowled Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in Carara National Park (11 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.
