Golden-crowned Spadebill

Golden-crowned Spadebill

Platyrinchus coronatus

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Darién National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

79 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,039 In all 16 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Golden-crowned Spadebill

The golden-crowned spadebill (Platyrinchus coronatus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found Central America from Honduras to Panama and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The golden-crowned spadebill is the smallest member of its genus. It is about 8.5 to 9 cm (3.3 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 8 to 9 g (0.28 to 0.32 oz). It has a large head with a bold facial pattern and a stubby tail. The sexes have almost the same plumage. Males of the nominate subspecies have a black crown with a partially hidden orange-rufous patch in the center; females have a purer orange patch. Both sexes have pale buff-yellow as a patch above the lores, as an eye-ring, as a stripe behind the eye, and as a patch on the... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:19

French Guiana · 2024

© Tristan Guillebot de Nerville · XC1162547 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:12

Panama · 2025

© Sue Riffe · XC1075939 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Duet0:14

Ecuador · 1999

© Olaf Jahn · XC262199 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
3 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
4 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
7 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
10 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
11 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Golden-crowned Spadebill in Darién National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-crowned Spadebill sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Golden-crowned Spadebill in Darién National Park?

March and November

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-crowned Spadebill in Darién National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April–May, July–August and December–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Golden-crowned Spadebill?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden-crowned Spadebill 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 Darién National Park the best place to see a Golden-crowned Spadebill?

2nd of 16

Of the 16 parks where we can rate Golden-crowned Spadebill sightings, Darién National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).

Where does the Golden-crowned Spadebill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Golden-crowned Spadebill is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (79 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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