Furnarius rufus
Silhouette: Abraão B. Leite · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus) is a medium-sized ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It occurs in eastern South America and is the national bird of Argentina. Also known as the red ovenbird, it is common in savannas, second-growth scrub, pastures, and agricultural land and is synanthropic. Its range includes midwestern, southeastern, and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern and central Argentina, extending as far south as northern Patagonia. The species is most closely related to the crested hornero of Paraguay and Argentina. There are four accepted subspecies.
The rufous hornero is medium-sized with a square tail and very slightly decurved bill. The plumage is overall reddish brown with a dull brown crown and a whitish throat. Sexes are alike and juvenile birds are slightly paler below (probably because they are cleaner). Rufous horneros feed on insects and other arthropods obtained by foraging on the ground while walking. They sometimes feed on scraps such as bread crumbs. Songs in the rufous hornero are sexually distinct. The rapid trill that is usually heard as part of the duet is faster in the male and slower in the female, and both beat their wings at their sides while singing and the wings beat at the same rate as their trill. Thus, while watching an observer may identify the sex by how fast their wings beat while singing. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 8 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 12 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 14 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 4 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Hornero sighting in El Palmar National Park on a given day, based on 280 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 151 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, July, September and December
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Hornero in El Palmar National Park on a given day, against about 50% in October and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Hornero sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Rufous Hornero sightings, El Palmar National Park ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Furnariidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Hornero that you can see in El Palmar National Park (family Furnariidae, Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers) are Sooty-fronted Spinetail (about 60%), Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (about 60%) and Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Hornero is recorded against all the birds logged in El Palmar National Park (280 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.
