Sporophila corvina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The variable seedeater (Sporophila corvina) is a passerine bird which breeds from southern Mexico through Central America to the Chocó of northwestern South America. The taxonomy is confusing, and it was formerly considered a subspecies of Sporophila americana (see Taxonomy). Even within the variable seedeater as presently defined, there are great variations in plumage.
The variable seedeater is a small, robust bird with a black conical bill. It is 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 11 g (0.39 oz). Adult males are entirely black apart from a small white wing-speculum and white wing linings.
Males resemble males S. c. corvina, but with white half-collar, rump and belly (the rump often intermixed with grey and the flanks retain some black mottling or barring). Males resemble S. c... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Seedeater sighting in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 181st most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Seedeater in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–April, the lowest months. Those are among Palo Verde National Park's wettest months, with about 290 mm of rain a month against almost none in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Seedeater sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
34th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Variable Seedeater sightings, Palo Verde National Park ranks 34th at under 5%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%), Chagres National Park (Panama, about 50%) and Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Seedeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Palo Verde National Park (28 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.
