Setophaga castanea
Silhouette: Dylan GE Gomes · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea) is a small species of songbird in the New World warbler family, Parulidae. It is one of 35 species in the diverse genus Setophaga. Like all songbirds, or passerines, the species is classified in the order Passeriformes.
The bay-breasted warbler was formally described and illustrated in 1810 by the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson based on specimens collected in Pennsylvania. Wilson coined the binomial name Sylvia castanea. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "chestnut-coloured". The bay-breasted warbler is now one of over 30 species placed in the genus Setophaga that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827. The species is monotypic, with no subspecies accepted. The genus name Setophaga combines the Ancient Greek σης/sēs, σητος/sētos meaning "moth" with -φαγος/-phagos meaning "-eating".
Adult males in breeding plumage are primarily greyish above, with two white wing bars, dark streaks on the back, and a creamy neck patch. The face is black, and the crown, throat, and sides are a dark chestnut colour. Breeding females are similar in overall pattern to the males, but are paler... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-breasted Warbler sighting in Tayrona National Natural Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 156th most-seen of the 285 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.
April and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-breasted Warbler in Tayrona National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bay-breasted 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.
22nd of 49
Of the 49 parks where we can rate Bay-breasted Warbler sightings, Tayrona National Natural Park ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Chagres National Park (Panama, about 40%), Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 30%) and Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bay-breasted Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Tayrona National Natural Park (41 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.
