Pezopetes capitalis
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The large-footed finch (Pezopetes capitalis) is a species of bird that despite its name is in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The large-footed finch was formally described by Jean Cabanis in 1861 with its current binomial Pezopetes capitalis. Cabanis erected the genus Pezopetes for this species and placed it in the finch family Fringillidae.
The large-footed finch eventually was reassigned to its current sparrow family. It remains the only member of the genus and has no subspecies. The large-footed finch is one of the heaviest in its diverse family. It is 17 to 20 cm (6.7 to 7.9 in) long and weighs about 56 g (2.0 oz). It has a long tail and very large legs and feet but a disproportionately small slender bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a black crown and a dark gray supercilium. Their face from the bill to just past the eye and down through the throat is black and the rest of their face and their nape are dark gray. Their upperparts and wing coverts are olive green. Their tail is blackish with thin olive green feather edges. Their flight feathers are dusky with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Large-footed Finch sighting in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 184 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 95th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large-footed Finch in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to April, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large-footed Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Large-footed Finch sightings, Poás Volcano National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%), Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Large-footed Finch that you can see in Poás Volcano National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Common Chlorospingus (about 60%), Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 30%) and Chestnut-capped Brushfinch (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large-footed Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Poás Volcano National Park (184 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.
