Neomorphus geoffroyi
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The rufous-vented ground cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi) is a Vulnerable species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.
The International Ornithological Committee's Handbook of the Birds of the World adds a seventh, N. g. squamiger, that the other systems treat as the separate species scaled ground cuckoo. In the early 20th century subspecies N. g. salvini was considered by some authors as a separate species but that treatment did not gain wide acceptance.
The rufous-vented ground cuckoo is 45 to 51 cm (18 to 20 in) long, about half of which is its tail, and weighs about 300 to 400 g (11 to 14 oz). Adults have a heavy decurved bill that is pale grayish green to horn-colored at its base with a yellow tip. All subspecies have a shaggy, glossy blue... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 6 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 398th 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 Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo 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 7 parks where we can rate Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%) and Chagres National Park (Panama, under 5%).
Same family: Cuculidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Cuculidae, Cuckoos) are Squirrel Cuckoo (about 10%) and Groove-billed Ani (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (51 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.
