Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Grallaria ruficapilla

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Quito

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

11 Verified sightings at Quito
1,248 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

The chestnut-crowned antpitta (Grallaria ruficapilla) is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. What is now Watkins's antpitta (G. watkinsi) was previously a subspecies of the chestnut-crowned antpitta. The two form a superspecies.

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills [and] very short tails". The chestnut-crowned antpitta is 18 to 23 cm (7.1 to 9.1 in) long and weighs 70 to 98 g (2.5 to 3.5 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies G. r. ruficapilla have a rufous crown, nape, and face. Their back, rump, tail, and wings are olivaceous. Their throat, breast, and belly are white with ochraceous edges on some breast feathers and olivaceous and blackish... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:16

Ecuador · 2026

© Daan van der Hoeven · XC1139796 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:35

Colombia · 2022

© Frank Lambert · XC764084 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:18

Ecuador · 2011

© Galo Real · XC676302 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
2 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
3 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
4 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
5 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
2 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
3 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta in Quito?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 137th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta in Quito?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta in Quito on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-crowned Antpitta sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Quito the best place to see a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Chestnut-crowned Antpitta sightings, Quito ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Bogota (Colombia, about 10%).

Where does the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (11 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.

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