Lipaugus unirufus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The rufous piha (Lipaugus unirufus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. Its range extends from southern Mexico throughout Central America and the Chocó-Magdalena region. The rufous piha is 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10 in) long; six individuals weighed 79 to 97 g (2.8 to 3.4 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a rufous crown with thin, somewhat lighter, streaks. The rest of their face and their upperparts are deep cinnamon brown. Their wings and tail are deep cinnamon brown with deep ochraceous buff inner webs on the remiges. Their underparts are buffy cinnamon that is darker and duller on the breast. Subspecies L. u. castaneotinctus has darker, more chestnut cinnamon upperparts than the nominate. Both subspecies have a dark brown iris, a dusky gray maxilla, a dull buffy brown mandible with a gray tip, and gray to brown legs and feet. The rufous piha looks similar to the rufous mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) and speckled mourner (Laniocera rufescens... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 7 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 12 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 13 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 17 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 18 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Piha sighting in Carara National Park on a given day, based on 902 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 414 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Piha in Carara National Park on a given day, against about 10% in November to July, the lowest months. Those are among Carara National Park's wettest months, with about 640 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Piha sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Rufous Piha sightings, Carara National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Darién National Park (Panama, about 30%).
Same family: Cotingidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Piha that you can see in Carara National Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Rose-throated Becard (about 20%), White-winged Becard (about 10%) and Masked Tityra (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Piha is recorded against all the birds logged in Carara National Park (902 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.
