Scytalopus chocoensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Chocó tapaculo (Scytalopus chocoensis) is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The Chocó tapaculo was formerly considered a subspecies of the Nariño tapaculo (Scytalopus vicinior) but was elevated to species status following Krabbe and Schulenberg (1997).
The Chocó tapaculo is 11 cm (4.3 in) long. Males weigh 19 to 22.5 g (0.67 to 0.79 oz) and females 17 to 20.1 g (0.60 to 0.71 oz). The male's mantle is dark gray, its lower back gray with a brown wash, and the rump dark brown with dusky bars. It is lighter gray below to the lower belly, which is reddish-brown with dark bars. The female is similar but the brownish wash extends to the head. The throat is lighter gray than the upper breast; the lower belly sometimes has a yellowish wash. The juvenile's upper parts are drab brown but for the dark brown rump; it appears barred below.
The Chocó tapaculo is found in two small areas on the Pacific slope of eastern Panama and separately in a narrow band from western Colombia south into northwestern Ecuador. It principally inhabits the dense understory of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Tapaculo sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 72 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 159th 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Tapaculo in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–August and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Darién National Park's driest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 450 mm in November.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chocó Tapaculo sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Chocó Tapaculo sightings, Darién National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Chocó Tapaculo that you can see in Darién National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Western Slaty-Antshrike (about 50%), Chestnut-backed Antbird (about 40%) and Golden-headed Manakin (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chocó Tapaculo is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (72 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.
