Nystalus radiatus
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (Photo by Len Blumin) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The barred puffbird (Nystalus radiatus) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. In the first half of the twentieth century the barred puffbird was treated by some authors as belonging to genus Ecchaunornis, but since then was returned to genus Nystalus. It is monotypic. A proposed subspecies, "N. r. fulvidus" is probably a color morph.
The barred puffbird is about 22 cm (8.7 in) long and weighs about 63 g (2.2 oz). Its crown is blackish with dark rufous bars. The upper nape is black, the lower nape yellowish red, and the upper mantle black. The rest of the upperparts and the wings are dark chestnut with narrow black bands. The tail is long, narrow, and chestnut with narrow black bands. The chin is whitish. The face and underparts are pale rufous with fine blackish bars except in the center of the belly. The bill is grayish yellow to blackish, the eye creamy yellow, and the feet greenish gray. The "fulvidus" morph is a deeper rufous overall.
The barred puffbird is resident from central Panama into northern Colombia and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Puffbird sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, July and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Puffbird in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June, August and October–December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Barred Puffbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Barred Puffbird sightings, Darién National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come San Lorenzo Protected Forest (Panama, about 10%) and Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Bucconidae
The closest relatives of the Barred Puffbird that you can see in Darién National Park (family Bucconidae, Puffbirds) are White-fronted Nunbird (about 20%), Pied Puffbird (about 20%) and White-whiskered Puffbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Barred Puffbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (44 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.
