Spinus notatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The black-headed siskin (Spinus notatus) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found in Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The black-headed siskin was originally described in 1847 with the binomial Carduelis notata. It was later moved to what was then the subgenus Spinus within genus Carduelis. Beginning in about 2009 the subgenus was elevated to full genus level and the black-capped siskin, the rest of the New World siskins, and the goldfinches were therefore elevated to now-genus Spinus.
The black-headed siskin has these three subspecies: The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies S. n. notatus have a black head and upper breast. Their nape, back, and scapulars are yellowish olive-green with mostly hidden black spots in the middle of the feathers. Their rump and uppertail coverts are yellow. Their tail is mostly... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Siskin sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Siskin in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against about 10% in May and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 270 mm in July. April and June–September have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Siskin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-headed Siskin sightings, Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 10%) and El Triunfo (Mexico, about 10%).
Same genus: Spinus
The closest relatives of the Black-headed Siskin that you can see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (genus Spinus, Siskins and New World Goldfinches) are Pine Siskin (about 40%) and Lesser Goldfinch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (40 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.
