Phytotoma rutila
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The white-tipped plantcutter (Phytotoma rutila) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and as a vagrant to Brazil and Chile. For part of the twentieth century the genus Phytotoma was placed in its own family Phytotomidae but subsequent genetic testing proved that it belonged in its current Cotinga family. The white-tipped plantcutter shares genus Phytotoma with the Peruvian plantcutter (P. raimondii) and rufous-tailed plantcutter (P. rara). It and the Peruvian are sister species.
The white-tipped plantcutter is 18 to 19.5 cm (7.1 to 7.7 in) long and weighs 30 to 57 g (1.1 to 2.0 oz). The sexes have different plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a rufous forehead, a dark gray crown and cheeks, and a short crest. The gray has sparse darker streaks. Their upperparts are also dark gray with sparse darker streaks. Their wings are dusky blackish with white tips on the coverts that show as two wing bars... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | La Paz | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-tipped Plantcutter sighting in La Paz on a given day, based on 162 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 88 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a White-tipped Plantcutter in La Paz on a given day, against about 20% in August, the lowest month. That is one of La Paz's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 10 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-tipped Plantcutter 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 cities where we can rate White-tipped Plantcutter sightings, La Paz ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cochabamba (Bolivia, about 50%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the White-tipped Plantcutter that you can see in La Paz (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 90%), Chiguanco Thrush (about 90%) and Peruvian Sierra-Finch (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-tipped Plantcutter is recorded against all the birds logged in La Paz (162 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.
