Campylorhynchus zonatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The band-backed wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus) is a small songbird of the wren family. The band-backed wren is a resident breeding species from south-central Gulf Coast Mexico to northwestern Ecuador. It occurs in five disjunct areas, the central region being in southern Central America, in Costa Rica and northern Panama. The next two regions are northern Colombia adjacent to Panama, and 800 km to the south in northwestern Ecuador.
This large wren breeds in lowlands and foothills from sea level up to 1700 m altitude in thinned forest or open woodland, scrub, second growth and groves around houses. It mainly occurs on the Caribbean side of the Central American mountain ranges. Its large spherical nest has a wide side entrance and is constructed 2 – 30 m high in a tree or shrub, often hidden amidst bromeliads. The female alone incubates the three to five unmarked or lightly brown-spotted white eggs for about two weeks to hatching, and the young fledge in about the same length of time again. After breeding, families sleep together in dormitory nests like those used for breeding throughout the year.
The adult band-backed wren is 16.5 cm long and weighs 29 g. It has a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 15 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 16 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 17 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Band-backed Wren sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 257th most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Band-backed Wren in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Band-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.
8th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Band-backed Wren sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in La Tigra National Park (Honduras, about 10%), Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 10%) and Cusuco National Park (Honduras, about 10%).
Same family: Troglodytidae
The closest relatives of the Band-backed Wren that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Bay Wren (about 40%), Southern House Wren (about 30%) and Stripe-breasted Wren (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Band-backed Wren is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (26 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.
