Myioborus torquatus
Silhouette: Sam Jones · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The collared whitestart (Myioborus torquatus), also known as the collared redstart, is a species of bird in the family Parulidae, the New World warblers. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The collared whitestart was formally described in 1865 with the binomial Setophaga torquata. It is monotypic.
The collared whitestart is about 12 to 13.5 cm (4.7 to 5.3 in) long and weighs about 10 to 11 g (0.35 to 0.39 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have rufous central crown with a black border beneath it that extends to the nape; the rest of their head including the throat is yellow. Their upperparts and wings are slate gray. Their tail is blackish with much white on the outer two pairs of feathers. Their underparts are yellow with a slate gray band across the upper breast. They have a mouse-brown iris, a black bill, and dusky brown or black legs and feet. Juveniles have a slate gray head with no rufous or yellow. Their upperparts are dark slate gray with a brown wash. Their throat and breast are slate gray and their belly dull yellow.
The collared whitestart is found intermittently through Costa Rica... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Collared Redstart sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 1,366 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Collared Redstart in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month. That is one of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve's driest months, with about 95 mm of rain against 510 mm in October.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Collared Redstart sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Collared Redstart sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 40%) and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Collared Redstart is recorded against all the birds logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (1,366 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.
