Spinus xanthogastrus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The yellow-bellied siskin (Spinus xanthogastrus) is a small passerine bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found from Costa Rica south to Bolivia. The yellow-bellied siskin has a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described in 1855 with the binomial Chrysomitris xanthogastra. It was later moved to what was then the subgenus Spinus within genus Carduelis and also spent time in genus Sporagra. Beginning in about 2009 the subgenus was elevated to full genus level and the yellow-bellied siskin, the rest of the New World siskins, and the New World goldfinches were therefore elevated to now-genus Spinus.
The yellow-bellied siskin is 10 to 11.5 cm (3.9 to 4.5 in) long and weighs about 11 to 14 g (0.39 to 0.49 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a glossy black head, chin, breast, and upperparts. Their tail is mostly glossy black with yellow bases to the outer feathers. Their wings are mostly glossy black with bright... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Siskin sighting in Chirripó National Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Siskin in Chirripó National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-bellied Siskin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Yellow-bellied Siskin sightings, Chirripó National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 20%), Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-bellied Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in Chirripó National Park (97 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.
