Icterus prosthemelas
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-cowled oriole (Icterus prosthemelas) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is common and widespread in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to western Panama. It lives primarily in humid or semihumid forest, as well as in clearings, along forest edges, in plantations, in semi-open areas with scattered trees and bushes, and in gardens. The adult male is black, with yellow on the belly, shoulder, rump, wing lining, and crissum. The female's plumage varies depending on location. In the south of its range, it is similar to that of the male. In the north, its crown and upperparts are olive-yellow, while its face, throat, upper breast, wings, and tail are black.
It forages mostly at mid-levels, and its diet includes a mix of arthropods, nectar and fruit. The female lays three eggs in a shallow pendent nest, which is stitched to the underside of a large leaf. Both parents defend the nest, and brood and feed the young. Due to its very large range and apparently stable population, it is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a species of least concern.
First described by Hugh Strickland in 1850, the black-cowled oriole has at times been considered conspecific with several oriole species from the Greater Antilles. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cowled Oriole sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 416 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 275th most-seen of the 657 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cowled Oriole in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-cowled Oriole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 25
Of the 25 parks where we can rate Black-cowled Oriole sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 30%), Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-cowled Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (416 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.
