Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

Catharus fuscater

Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

3,876 Verified sightings at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
6,652 In all 13 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush (Catharus fuscater) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes and allies. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush was originally described in 1845 by as Myioturdus fuscater. It was later reassigned to its present genus Catharus that had been erected in 1850.

The slaty-backed nightingale's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World assign it these seven subspecies: The Clements taxonomy recognizes four more subspecies:

They treat... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:35

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1157586 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:08

Ecuador · 2002

© Brian Cox · XC730765 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:49

Peru · 2013

© Fabrice Schmitt · XC243437 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
10 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
11 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
12 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
13 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 3,876 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

May and July

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in September to November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve the best place to see a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?

Yes

Of the 13 parks where we can rate Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush live in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

Same genus: Catharus

The closest relatives of the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (genus Catharus, Brown Thrushes and Nightingale-Thrushes) are Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush (about 20%), Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush (about 10%) and Swainson's Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (3,876 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.

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