Nothocercus bonapartei
Silhouette: George Edward Lodge · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The highland tinamou or Bonaparte's tinamou (Nothocercus bonapartei) is a type of ground bird found in montane moist forest typically over 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude. All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. Unlike other ratites, tinamous can fly, although in general, they are not strong fliers. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds.
It has five subspecies: N. b. frantzii occurs in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. N. b. bonapartei occurs in northwestern Venezuela and northern Colombia. N. b. discrepans occurs in central Colombia (Tolima and Meta provinces).
N. b. plumbeiceps occurs in the Andes of eastern Ecuador and far northern Peru. George Robert Gray identified the highland tinamou from a specimen from Aragua, Venezuela, in 1867. The specific name bonapartei, a Latin genitive of the name Bonaparte, commemorates Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The highland tinamou averages 38.5 cm (15.2 in) long, and weighs 925 g (2.039 lb). Its plumage is mottled... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 7 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Highland Tinamou sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 383rd most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Highland Tinamou in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Highland Tinamou sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Highland Tinamou sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 11th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica, under 5%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, under 5%) and Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Highland Tinamou is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (66 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.
