Amblycercus holosericeus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The yellow-billed cacique (Amblycercus holosericeus) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The yellow-billed cacique was formally described in 1830 with the binomial Sturnus holosericieus. In 1851 Jean Cabanis erected the genus Amblycercus with it as the type species. For part of the twentieth century it was assigned to genus Cacicus but by the end of the century had been firmly placed back in Amblycercus. It is basal to the oropendolas and caciques but is not closely related to any of them.
The yellow-billed cacique is the only member of its genus and has these three subspecies: Amblycercus holosericeus holosericeus (Deppe, 1830) Amblycercus holosericeus flavirostris Chapman, 1915 Amblycercus holosericeus australis Chapman, 1919
Some authors have suggested that A. h. australis might warrant full species status. The Clements taxonomy draws some distinction within the species, calling A. h. australis the "yellow-billed cacique (Chapman's)" and grouping the other two subspecies as the "yellow-billed cacique (Prevost's)".
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| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Cacique sighting in Piedras Blancas National Park on a given day, based on 93 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 188th most-seen of the 344 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April–May, August and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Cacique in Piedras Blancas National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, June–July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-billed Cacique sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 40
Of the 40 parks where we can rate Yellow-billed Cacique sightings, Piedras Blancas National Park ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 30%), Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-billed Cacique that you can see in Piedras Blancas National Park (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Great-tailed Grackle (about 40%), Scarlet-rumped Cacique (about 40%) and Red-breasted Blackbird (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-billed Cacique is recorded against all the birds logged in Piedras Blancas National Park (93 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.
