Boana rufitela
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The Canal Zone tree frog (Boana rufitela) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in the Caribbean lowlands of eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and central Panama, as well as the Pacific lowlands of Colombia, although the latter records are uncertain and may refer to Boana rosenbergi.
Boana rufitela is a medium-sized tree frog. Males measure 39–44 mm (1.5–1.7 in) in snout–urostyle length and females 46–48 mm (1.8–1.9 in). It is green above, with profuse, tiny, dark punctations and usually scattered dark spots. Fingers are about one-half and toes three-fourths webbed. Males have a distinct pollex rudiment bearing a spine.
Its natural habitats are humid lowland forests. It tolerates some disturbance and can be found in open areas close to forest. Breeding takes place in swamps surrounded by trees. It is a locally common tree frog in the appropriate habitat. Wikipedia →
Recording0:14
Panama · 2026
© Chris Harrison · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:15
Panama · 2021
© Jeff Chapman · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-webbed Tree Frog sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 14 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Red-webbed Tree Frog in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against about 10% in November, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-webbed Tree Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Red-webbed Tree Frog sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%).
Same family: Hylidae
The closest relatives of the Red-webbed Tree Frog that you can see in Tortuguero National Park (family Hylidae, Hylid Tree Frogs) are Sipurio Snouted Treefrog (about 30%), Eastern Masked Tree Frog (about 20%) and Harlequin Treefrog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-webbed Tree Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Tortuguero National Park (69 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.
