Thryorchilus browni
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The timberline wren (Thryorchilus browni) is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Costa Rica and western Panama. The timberline wren is the only member of genus Thryorchilus, but its taxonomy at the subspecies level is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) considers it to be monotypic. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World lists three subspecies, but notes that this treatment is disputed and that timberline wren should be "perhaps better considered monotypic." The Clements taxonomy and the Handbook of Birds of the World list the same three subspecies without comment.
The timberline wren is 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs 14 g (0.49 oz). The adult of the nominate subspecies has rich chestnut brown crown and upperparts and a reddish brown tail with thin dark bars. It has a broad gray-white supercilium, a chocolate brown stripe behind the eye, and grayish cheeks with narrow black markings. Its throat and chest are grayish white, its upper belly a mottled grayish white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Timberline Wren sighting in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 183rd most-seen of the 296 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Timberline Wren in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–August and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Timberline Wren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Timberline Wren sightings, Volcán Barú National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Troglodytidae
The closest relatives of the Timberline Wren that you can see in Volcán Barú National Park (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Gray-breasted Wood-Wren (about 60%), Ochraceous Wren (about 40%) and Southern House Wren (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Timberline Wren is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcán Barú National Park (38 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.
