Catharus occidentalis
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The russet nightingale-thrush (Catharus occidentalis) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes and allies. It is endemic to Mexico. The russet nightingale-thrush was originally described in 1859 with its current binomial Catharus occidentalis. It and the hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) of temperate North America are sister species.
The russet nightingale-thrush has these four subspecies: What is now the ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush (C. frantzii) was originally described as a species but for much of the twentieth century was treated as a subspecies of the russet nightingale-thrush.
The russet nightingale-thrush is 15.5 to 18 cm (6.1 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 22 to 37 g (0.78 to 1.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. o. occidentalis have a deep russet brown crown and nape and a light olive brown or buffy olive face. Their upperparts are mostly a more olivaceous russet brown than the crown but the uppertail coverts and tail are more rufescent than the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Russet Nightingale-Thrush sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Russet Nightingale-Thrush in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against about 10% in May and October–February, 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 Russet Nightingale-Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, in our data
Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Russet Nightingale-Thrush sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Catharus
The closest relatives of the Russet Nightingale-Thrush that you can see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (genus Catharus, Brown Thrushes and Nightingale-Thrushes) are Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush (about 10%) and Hermit Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Russet Nightingale-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (24 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.
