Yellow-bellied Siskin

Yellow-bellied Siskin

Spinus xanthogastrus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San José

In 3 days <5%

17 Verified sightings at San José
4,375 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-bellied Siskin

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 →

Sounds

Call0:25

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sanchez-Nivicela · XC991811 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:17

Colombia · 2019

© David Monroy Rengifo · XC456656 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:09

Colombia · 2017

© Martin St-Michel · XC375579 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
2 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
7 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
9 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 La Paz 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~40%
2 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
3 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-bellied Siskin in San José?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Siskin sighting in San José on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 292nd most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Siskin in San José?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Siskin in San José on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-bellied Siskin?

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.

Is San José the best place to see a Yellow-bellied Siskin?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Yellow-bellied Siskin sightings, San José ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in La Paz (Bolivia, about 40%) and Medellín (Colombia, under 5%).

Where does the Yellow-bellied Siskin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-bellied Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in San José (17 verified sightings), 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.

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