Geothlypis formosa
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Kentucky warbler (Geothlypis formosa) is a small species of New World warbler. It is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing. Adult Kentucky warblers are mostly an olive-green in color on their back and nape, and a brilliant yellow below from their throat to their belly. They have a small tinge of black on their crown, and a large black mask with a yellow pattern that runs from the beak and encircles the eyes, resembling a pair of spectacles. Female Kentucky warblers have slightly less black on the sides of their head, and immature birds may have almost no black at all.
Measurements: Length: 5.1 in (13 cm) Weight: 0.5–0.5 oz (13–14 g) Wingspan: 7.9–8.7 in (20–22 cm) The Kentucky warbler is a scarce bird with a large range, frequenting moist deciduous forests. It is migratory, spending summer in the central and eastern United States, often ranging as far north as Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. Come fall and winter the Kentucky warbler will migrate back to the Yucatán Peninsula and the many islands of the Caribbean, flying non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico. In 2007... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 6 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kentucky Warbler sighting in Carara National Park on a given day, based on 308 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 237th most-seen of the 414 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Kentucky Warbler in Carara National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months. That is one of Carara National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 730 mm in October.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kentucky Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Kentucky Warbler sightings, Carara National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 40%), Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 30%) and Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kentucky Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Carara National Park (308 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.
