Velvet-fronted Grackle

Velvet-fronted Grackle

Lampropsar tanagrinus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Amacayacu National Natural Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

47 Verified sightings at Amacayacu National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
69 In all 3 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Velvet-fronted Grackle

The velvet-fronted grackle (Lampropsar tanagrinus) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, monotypic within the genus Lampropsar. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps and heavily degraded former forest.

The velvet-fronted grackle was formally described in 1824 as Icterus tanagrinus by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix. The specific epithet is Modern Latin meaning "tanager-like", from the genus Tanagra that had been introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1764. The type locality was designated by the Brazilian zoologist Olivério Pinto in 1944 as the left bank of the Amazon River at Itacoatiara in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. The velvet-fronted grackle is now the only species placed in the genus Lampropsar that was introduced in 1847 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. In 1848 he placed a single taxon in the genus, Lampropsa guianensis Cabanis. This is the type species. It is now considered as a subspecies of the velvet-fronted grackle. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek λαμπρος/lampros meaning "brilliant" with ψαρ/psar, ψαρος/psaros meaning... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:02

Colombia · 2022

© Frank Lambert · XC1040511 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:42

Colombia · 2018

© Kent Livezey · XC443975 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:19

Ecuador · 1992

© John V. Moore · XC260031 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
2 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
3 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Velvet-fronted Grackle in Amacayacu National Natural Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet-fronted Grackle sighting in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 217th most-seen of the 436 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Velvet-fronted Grackle in Amacayacu National Natural Park?

December

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet-fronted Grackle in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April and June–July, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Velvet-fronted Grackle?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Velvet-fronted Grackle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Amacayacu National Natural Park the best place to see a Velvet-fronted Grackle?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Velvet-fronted Grackle sightings, Amacayacu National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, under 5%) and Amboró National Park (Bolivia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Velvet-fronted Grackle live in Amacayacu National Natural Park?

Same family: Icteridae

The closest relatives of the Velvet-fronted Grackle that you can see in Amacayacu National Natural Park (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Russet-backed Oropendola (about 70%), Yellow-rumped Cacique (about 60%) and Yellow-hooded Blackbird (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Velvet-fronted Grackle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Velvet-fronted Grackle is recorded against all the birds logged in Amacayacu National Natural Park (47 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.

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