Phrynonax poecilonotus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Phrynonax poecilonotus is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the New World. P. poecilonotus is commonly known in Trinidad and Tobago as dos cocorite, in Brazil as papa-ovo, and in English as the puffing snake or the bird snake.
P. poecilonotus is found from Mexico through Central America to northern and central South America and Trinidad and Tobago. P. poecilonotus apparently eats any terrestrial vertebrate small enough to handle and is well known as a predator of bird eggs (hence some of the common names). In captivity, they are known to enjoy scrambled eggs.
P. poecilonotus is one of the most variable snakes in the world. For about the first year of their life, they look very dull in color, and look all the same upon hatching. During the first four years, the snake's appearance will change rapidly, from slate grey and yellow, to slate and orange, etc. Past the first four years of life, changes will be very slow, but they will still change in appearance. The snakes can be combinations of black with red, orange, yellow, and/or lavender, or slate and red, yellow, orange... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 15 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | International Animal Rescue – Costa Rica | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Aurora Zoo | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Puffing Snake sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Puffing Snake in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Puffing Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Puffing Snake sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%), Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Puffing Snake that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Chicken Snake (about 10%), Green Rat Snake (about 10%) and Double-banded Coral Snake Mimic (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Puffing Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (23 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.
