Southern Tropical Pewee

Southern Tropical Pewee

Contopus cinereus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

122 Verified sightings at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary From 2019 to 2026
6,191 In all 49 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Southern Tropical Pewee

The southern tropical pewee (Contopus cinereus) is a small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. The southern tropical pewee's taxonomy is unsettled.

The North and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society treat those subspecies and six others as the tropical pewee with the binomial Contopus cinereus. In 2016 HBW separated three of the subspecies as the two-subspecies southern tropical pewee (C. cinereus) and the monotypic western tropical pewee (C. punensis). In 2022 Clements recognized the southern tropical pewee as a species and the IOC followed suit in 2023.

The southern tropical pewee is 13.5 to 14.5 cm (5.3 to 5.7 in) long and weighs about 10 to 15 g (0.35 to 0.53 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

Costa Rica · 2017

© Albert Lastukhin · XC1102647 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:17

Brazil · 2024

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC926982 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Rattle0:31

Costa Rica · 2010

© Peter Boesman · XC274244 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
2 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
3 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
4 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
7 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
10 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
11 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
12 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
17 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
18 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
19 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
21 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
23 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
28 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
29 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
30 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
32 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
34 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
37 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
38 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
40 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
41 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
44 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
45 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
47 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
48 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
49 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
~10%
2 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
3 Guatemala City 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
4 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
5 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
6 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
7 Managua 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
8 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Tropical Pewee in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tropical Pewee sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 119th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Tropical Pewee in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?

March and April

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Tropical Pewee in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and 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.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Tropical Pewee?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Tropical Pewee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary the best place to see a Southern Tropical Pewee?

6th of 49

Of the 49 parks where we can rate Southern Tropical Pewee sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in El Triunfo (Mexico, about 20%), Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Coiba National Park (Panama, about 20%).

Where does the Southern Tropical Pewee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Tropical Pewee is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (122 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.

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