Sclerurus guatemalensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The scaly-throated leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis) is a species of bird in subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, and in Colombia and Ecuador.
The scaly throated and black-tailed leaftossers (S. caudacutus) are sister species. The scaly-throated leaftosser is 16.5 to 18 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long and weighs about 35 g (1.2 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown crown and nape with a scalloped appearance. Their back is dark brown, their rump and uppertail coverts reddish brown, and their tail is a darker brown than their back. Their flight feathers are dusky. Their face is shades of brown. Their chin and throat feathers are whitish with darker margins that give a scaly appearance. The sides of their neck and their upper breast are tawny brown and the rest of their breast is dull reddish brown with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 9 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-throated Leaftosser sighting in Carara National Park on a given day, based on 299 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 241st 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 and April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-throated Leaftosser in Carara National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months. Those are among Carara National Park's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against 730 mm in October.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scaly-throated Leaftosser sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Scaly-throated Leaftosser sightings, Carara National Park ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, under 5%), Darién National Park (Panama, under 5%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, under 5%).
Same family: Furnariidae
The closest relatives of the Scaly-throated Leaftosser that you can see in Carara National Park (family Furnariidae, Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers) are Streak-headed Woodcreeper (about 40%), Cocoa Woodcreeper (about 30%) and Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaly-throated Leaftosser is recorded against all the birds logged in Carara National Park (299 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.
