Campylorhynchus capistratus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The rufous-backed wren (Campylorhynchus capistratus) is a species of songbird in the family Troglodytidae. It is a resident breeding species distributed from southwestern Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. What is now classified as the rufous-backed wren was formerly treated as six of the eight subspecies of rufous-naped wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha). Following a 2009 proposal to split C. rufinucha (sensu lato) into three distinct species, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) formally recognized the reclassification. Under this revision, C. r. humilis was elevated to full species status as Sclater's wren (Campylorhynchus humilis). The restricted C. rufinucha received the new English name Veracruz wren, and the remaining six subspecies were regrouped under rufous-backed wren.
While BirdLife International implemented the split, retaining the English name rufous-naped wren for C. rufinucha, major authorities such as the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (NACC/AOS) and the Clements taxonomy had not accepted the revision as of early 2021.
The six subspecies of rufous-backed wren accepted by the IOC... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masaya Volcano National Park | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 2 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 10 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 12 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 4 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-backed Wren sighting in El Triunfo on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd most-seen of the 221 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-backed Wren in El Triunfo on a given day, against under 5% in July and November, the lowest months. That is one of El Triunfo's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 420 mm in June. June has too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-backed 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.
12th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Rufous-backed Wren sightings, El Triunfo ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Masaya Volcano National Park (Nicaragua, about 90%), Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 70%) and Las Baulas Marine National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Troglodytidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-backed Wren that you can see in El Triunfo (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Cabanis's Wren (about 30%), Gray-breasted Wood-Wren (about 30%) and Spot-breasted Wren (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-backed Wren is recorded against all the birds logged in El Triunfo (17 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.
