Sublegatus arenarum
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The northern scrub flycatcher (Sublegatus arenarum) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Aruba, Bonaire, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela.
What are now the northern scrub flycatcher, Amazonian scrub flycatcher (S. obscurior), and southern scrub flycatcher (S. modestus) were previously members of the single species named scrub flycatcher with the binomial S. modestus. The further taxonomy of the three scrub flycatchers has not been fully resolved.
As of late 2024, the northern scrub flycatcher was assigned these six subspecies: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 5 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Scrub-Flycatcher sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 101 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Scrub-Flycatcher in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against about 10% in April–May and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Caroni Swamp's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 25 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Scrub-Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Northern Scrub-Flycatcher sightings, Caroni Swamp has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Coiba National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Carara National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Scrub-Flycatcher that you can see in Caroni Swamp (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Tropical Kingbird (about 60%), Great Kiskadee (about 60%) and Pied Water-Tyrant (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Scrub-Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (101 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.
