Psarocolius wagleri
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The chestnut-headed oropendola (Psarocolius wagleri) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, and in Colombia and Ecuador.
The chestnut-headed oropendola was formally described in 1844 with an illustration and the binomial Cacicus Wagleri [sic]. Its specific epithet commemorates Johann Georg Wagler, who had erected genus Psarocolius in 1827. It eventually was reassigned to Psarocolius but for a time was placed in its own genus Zarhynchus.
Chestnut-headed oropendola males average 35 cm (14 in) long and females 28 cm (11 in). Males weigh an average of 214 g (7.5 oz) and females 113 g (4.0 oz). The species looks very long-winged in flight. Males have a slight crest. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a dark purplish chestnut head, throat, and upper breast. Their body and wings are mostly black with a bluish gloss. Their rump and uppertail coverts are dark... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-headed Oropendola sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 108th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-headed Oropendola in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in August to November, the lowest months. Those are among Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary's driest months, with about 85 mm of rain a month against 300 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-headed Oropendola sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Chestnut-headed Oropendola sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 14th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 30%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 30%) and Utría National Natural Park (Colombia, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-headed Oropendola is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (150 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.
