Pheucticus tibialis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The black-thighed grosbeak (Pheucticus tibialis) is a bird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals, grosbeaks, and “tanager” allies. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. The black-thighed grosbeak was formally described in 1867 with its current binomial Pheucticus tibialis. Some authors have treated it, the yellow grosbeak (P. chrysopeplus), and the golden grosbeak (P. chrysogaster) as conspecific.
The black-thighed grosbeak is monotypic. The black-thighed grosbeak is 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs an average of about 62 g (2.2 oz). Adult males have a bright yellow head, nape, and upper mantle. Their lores are gray-black and their ear coverts and throat are yellow mottled with black. Their lower mantle is black with yellow edges on the central feathers. Their lower back and rump are bright yellow and their uppertail coverts black with yellow tips. Their wings are mostly black with wide white bases on the primaries that show as a large flash. Their tail is black. Their breast is deep yellow with darker mottling and the rest of their underparts yellow. Their thigh feathers are black. Adult females are duller than males, especially on... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-thighed Grosbeak sighting in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, based on 182 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 105th most-seen of the 296 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-thighed Grosbeak in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-thighed Grosbeak sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Black-thighed Grosbeak sightings, Volcán Barú National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-thighed Grosbeak is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcán Barú National Park (182 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.
