Lovely Cotinga

Lovely Cotinga

Cotinga amabilis

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Pico Bonito National Park

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

239 Verified sightings at Pico Bonito National Park From 2019 to 2026
276 In all 3 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lovely Cotinga

The lovely cotinga (Cotinga amabilis) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Mexico and every Central American country except El Salvador. The lovely cotinga is monotypic. It, the turquoise cotinga (C. ridgwayi), and the blue cotinga (C. nattererii) form a superspecies. The plum-throated (C. maynana), purple-breasted (C. cotinga), and banded (C. maculata) cotingas may also be part of that clade.

The lovely cotinga is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) long and weighs 66 to 75 g (2.3 to 2.6 oz). The sexes are dramatically dimorphic. Adult males have rich bright blue upperparts whose color is slightly deeper on the crown. Their wings' lesser and median coverts are the same bright blue. Their greater coverts, primaries, secondaries, and tertials are black with blue or greenish blue edges. Their tail is black with greenish blue or bluish green edges on the feathers; the uppertail coverts are long and cover the base of the tail. The lower part of their face is glossy purplish black and their chin, throat, and upper breast are dark purple. Their lower breast, flanks, and undertail coverts are the same rich bright blue as their... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:36

Honduras · 2020

© Jafeth Zablah · XC524495 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
3 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lovely Cotinga in Pico Bonito National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lovely Cotinga sighting in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, based on 239 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 271 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 Lovely Cotinga in Pico Bonito National Park?

February

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lovely Cotinga in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Lovely Cotinga?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lovely Cotinga 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 Pico Bonito National Park the best place to see a Lovely Cotinga?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Lovely Cotinga sightings, Pico Bonito National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Tikal National Park (Guatemala, under 5%) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Lovely Cotinga live in Pico Bonito National Park?

Same family: Cotingidae

The closest relatives of the Lovely Cotinga that you can see in Pico Bonito National Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Masked Tityra (about 50%), Black-crowned Tityra (about 10%) and Rose-throated Becard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lovely Cotinga sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lovely Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Pico Bonito National Park (239 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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