Euphonia elegantissima
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The elegant euphonia or blue-hooded euphonia (Chlorophonia elegantissima) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found in Mexico and every Central American country. The elegant euphonia has a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described in 1838 with the binomial Pipra elegantissima, mistakenly identifying it as a manakin. It was eventually reassigned to genus Euphonia that had been erected in 1806.
For a time the elegant euphonia, the golden-rumped euphonia (now C. cyanocephala), and the Hispaniolan euphonia (now C. musica) were treated as a single species called the blue-hooded euphonia. They were separated by 1998 and formed a superspecies. Following further studies, in the early 2020s those three species were reassigned by most taxonomic systems to their present genus Chlorophonia that had been erected in 1851. The first version of AviList (2025) also places the elegant euphonia in Chlorophonia. However, as of 2025 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retains it in Euphonia.
Genera Euphonia and Chlorophonia were long placed in the family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers... Wikipedia →
Recording1:42
Honduras · 2020
© maryury · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:16
Mexico · 2023
© Bodo Nuñez Oberg · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:17
Mexico · 2022
© Efraín Octavio Aguilar Pérez · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 10 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 16 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Euphonia sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 1,860 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Euphonia in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–October, the lowest months. Those are among Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve's driest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 510 mm in October.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elegant Euphonia sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate Elegant Euphonia sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 30%), El Triunfo (Mexico, about 20%) and Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same genus: Euphonia
The closest relatives of the Elegant Euphonia that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (genus Euphonia, Typical Euphonias) are Yellow-throated Euphonia (about 40%) and Yellow-crowned Euphonia (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Elegant Euphonia is recorded against all the birds logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (1,860 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.
