Microcerculus philomela
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Nightingale Wren sighting in Cusuco National Park on a given day, based on 80 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 250 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.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Nightingale Wren in Cusuco National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months. That is one of Cusuco National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 80 mm in April.
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.
4th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Nightingale Wren sightings, Cusuco National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. 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 Cusuco National Park (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Southern House Wren (about 50%), Spot-breasted Wren (about 50%) and White-breasted Wood-Wren (about 20%), 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 Cusuco National Park (80 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.
