Species profile
Name: the three-wattled bellbird (Procnias tricarunculatus) is a Central American bird that is famous for its unusual call.
Appearance: males and females are very different in appearance. Females are an olive green colour with yellow streaks. While the males are brown with white heads. They also have three long wattles dangling from their beaks which are used in displays.
Size: the three-wattled bellbird usually reaches around 25 to 30 cm long.
Diet: they are fruit eaters and play an important role in dispersing the seeds of fruit trees.
Did you know: three-wattled bellbirds are famous for having one of the most unusual and distinctive calls of any bird in Central America. The hollow, wooden ‘bonk’ sound they make is thought to be among the loudest bird calls on Earth, audible over half a mile away. During mating, the males sneak up behind the females, opens their mouths a full 180 degrees, then make the ‘bonk’ sound in their ears to knock them off the branch!
Location: they breed in the montane cloud forests of Costa Rica and migrate to Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Where to see Three-wattled Bellbirds
According to reports submitted to WildSide, you can see three-wattled bellbirds in the following places:
| Place | Chance to see | User rating | No. reports |
| Marino Ballena Costa Rica |
100% very high |
5.0 very good |
1 reports |
| Monteverde Costa Rica |
33% low |
4.7 very good |
3 reports |
Photo credit: Jorge Obando Nature Photo under a Creative Commons licence from Flickr