Furnarius rufus
Silhouette: Abraão B. Leite · PhyloPic
The rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus) is a medium-sized ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It occurs in eastern South America and is the national bird of Argentina. Also known as the red ovenbird, it is common in savannas, second-growth scrub, pastures, and agricultural land and is synanthropic. Its range includes midwestern, southeastern, and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern and central Argentina, extending as far south as northern Patagonia. The species is most closely related to the crested hornero of Paraguay and Argentina. There are four accepted subspecies.
The rufous hornero is medium-sized with a square tail and very slightly decurved bill. The plumage is overall reddish brown with a dull brown crown and a whitish throat. Sexes are alike and juvenile birds are slightly paler below (probably because they are cleaner). Rufous horneros feed on insects and other arthropods obtained by foraging on the ground while walking. They sometimes feed on scraps such as bread crumbs. Songs in the rufous hornero are sexually distinct. The rapid trill that is usually heard as part of the duet is faster in the male and slower in the female, and both beat their wings at their sides while singing and the wings beat at the same rate as their trill. Thus, while watching an observer may identify the sex by how fast their wings beat while singing. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 8 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 12 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 14 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 4 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Hornero sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 17,608 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Hornero in Buenos Aires on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Hornero 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 22 cities where we can rate Rufous Hornero sightings, Buenos Aires ranks 5th at about 90%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Brasilia (Brazil, about 90%), Porto Alegre (Brazil, about 90%) and Montevideo (Uruguay, about 90%).
Same family: Furnariidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Hornero that you can see in Buenos Aires (family Furnariidae, Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers) are Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (about 40%), Sooty-fronted Spinetail (about 30%) and Yellow-chinned Spinetail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Hornero is recorded against all the birds logged in Buenos Aires (17,608 verified sightings), 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.
