Seiurus aurocapilla
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family Parulidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Seiurus. This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela.
Despite its name, it is not in the ovenbird family of birds. The ovenbird was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla aurocapilla. The specific epithet combines Latin aurum meaning "gold" with -capillus meaning "-crowned". Linnaeus based his entry on "The golden-crowned thrush" that had been described and illustrated in 1758 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his book Gleanings of Natural History. Edwards had been given a specimen that had been collected on a ship off the coast of Hispanola. The ovenbird is now the only species placed in the genus Seiurus that was introduced by English zoologist William Swainson in 1827. Swainson did not specify the type species until a later publication in the same year. The genus name is from Ancient Greek σειουρος/seiouros meaning "wag... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ovenbird sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 488 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 279 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.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ovenbird in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ovenbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
30th of 53
Of the 53 parks where we can rate Ovenbird sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 30th at under 5%. The best odds are in Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 40%), Voyageurs National Park (United States, about 40%) and Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Parulidae
The closest relatives of the Ovenbird that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Parulidae, New World Warblers) are Yellow-rumped Warbler (about 40%), Palm Warbler (about 40%) and Common Yellowthroat (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ovenbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (488 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.
