Dives dives
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Melodious Blackbird sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 2,340 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 76th most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Melodious Blackbird in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in February and April, the lowest months. That is one of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve's wettest months, with about 510 mm of rain against 45 mm in March.
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.
29th of 44
Of the 44 parks where we can rate Melodious Blackbird sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 29th at about 20%. 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 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Great-tailed Grackle (about 50%), Baltimore Oriole (about 20%) and Montezuma Oropendola (about 10%), 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 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2,340 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.
