Lipaugus unirufus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Piha sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 176th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Piha in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in March, July–August and November–January, the lowest months.
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.
6th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Rufous Piha sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Darién National Park (Panama, about 30%) and Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Cotingidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Piha that you can see in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Russet-winged Schiffornis (about 50%), Masked Tityra (about 40%) and Rose-throated Becard (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 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (66 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.
