Basileuterus melanogenys
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-cheeked warbler (Basileuterus melanogenys) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae, the New World warblers. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The black-cheeked warbler was formally described in 1865 with its current binomial Basileuterus melanogenys. It has these three subspecies:
What is now the Pirre warbler (M. ignotus) was originally described as another subspecies of the black-cheeked warber; they form a superspecies. The black-cheeked warbler is about 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long and weighs an average of about 12 g (0.42 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies B. m. melanogenys have a chestnut crown, a white or pale yellowish supercilium, and a thin black line between them on an otherwise blackish face. The sides of their nape are sooty blackish and the rest of the nape is dark brownish gray or olive. Their back, wings, and tail are dusky brownish gray and their rump and uppertail coverts are olive. Their throat is whitish, their breast grayish, their flanks olive, and the center of their belly and their... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cheeked Warbler sighting in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 117th most-seen of the 356 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cheeked Warbler in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to July, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-cheeked Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Black-cheeked Warbler sightings, Poás Volcano National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 40%), Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%) and Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-cheeked Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Poás Volcano National Park (125 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.
