Dives dives
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The melodious blackbird (Dives dives) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica. The melodious blackbird was formally described in 1830 with the binomial Icterus dives. It now shares the genus Dives with the scrub blackbird (D. warczewiczi). The two form a superspecies and some early twentieth century authors treated them as conspecific.
The melodious blackbird is monotypic. Male melodious blackbirds average 25.5 cm (10 in) long and weigh 98.3 to 102 g (3.5 to 3.6 oz). Females average 23 cm (9.1 in) long and weigh 83.4 to 95.9 g (2.9 to 3.4 oz). The species has a long tail and disproportionately large legs and feet. The sexes have the same plumage: Adults are entirely black with blue and purple iridescence. They have a dark brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet. Juveniles are a duller, non-glossy, brownish black.
The melodious blackbird is found from southern Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico south on the Gulf of Mexico slope almost to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and from there on both the... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 5 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | The Seas with Nemo & Friends | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Melodious Blackbird sighting in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 180 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 240 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, April and July
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Melodious Blackbird in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in October, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Melodious Blackbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 44
Of the 44 parks where we can rate Melodious Blackbird sightings, Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve ranks 10th at about 50%. The best odds are in Masaya Volcano National Park (Nicaragua, about 80%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 70%) and Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Melodious Blackbird that you can see in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Montezuma Oropendola (about 50%), Great-tailed Grackle (about 40%) and Yellow-billed Cacique (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Melodious Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (180 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.
