Microcerculus philomela
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The northern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus philomela), or nightingale wren, is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. The northern nightingale-wren forms a species pair with the southern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus marginatus) and was in the past considered conspecific with it. It is currently treated as a species in its own right by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy, though under different English names. It is monotypic.
The northern nightingale-wren is 10 to 11.5 cm (3.9 to 4.5 in) long; seven males weighed 17.4 to 21.5 g (0.61 to 0.76 oz) and four females 16.4 to 17.4 g (0.58 to 0.61 oz). Adults are almost entirely dark brown, but with a dark gray throat and breast. Black tips on feathers of both the upper- and undersides give a scalloped appearance. Juveniles are similar though the scaling on their upperparts is darker and that on the underparts is whitish to pale gray.
The northern nightingale-wren is found from Chiapas in Mexico through Guatemala, southern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 7 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Nightingale Wren sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 236th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Nightingale Wren in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nightingale Wren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Nightingale Wren sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Troglodytidae
The closest relatives of the Nightingale Wren that you can see in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Spot-breasted Wren (about 70%) and White-breasted Wood-Wren (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Nightingale Wren is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (14 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.
