Elaenia frantzii
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The mountain elaenia (Elaenia frantzii) is a small passerine bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.
The three subspecies other than the nominate E. f. frantzii have bounced around as subspecies of other elaenia species before reaching their current status. However, vocal studies published in 2016 suggest that the species has only two subspecies, with ultima being absorbed into frantzii and browni being absorbed into pudica. There are further suggestions that the two putative subspecies should be treated as separate species.
At least one early twentieth century publication treated the mountain elaenia and highland elaenia (E. obscura) as conspecific but by the middle of the century that treatment had been abandoned, and early twenty-first century genetic studies showed that they are not closely related.
The mountain elaenia's specific epithet celebrates the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 11 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 13 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 14 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 15 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 16 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Elaenia sighting in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, based on 183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 542 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April–May, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Elaenia in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, June–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mountain Elaenia sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Mountain Elaenia sightings, Farallones de Cali National Natural Park ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%), Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mountain Elaenia is recorded against all the birds logged in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (183 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.
