Scytalopus latrans
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The blackish tapaculo (Scytalopus latrans) is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The blackish tapaculo was originally described by Hellmayr as a species. Later it was reclassified as a subspecies of unicolored tapaculo (Scytalopus unicolor) and later still returned to full species status. The latter is sometimes considered to be a separate species. The former "Peruvian" subspecies S. l. intermedius has been elevated to species status as Utcubamba tapaculo by the International Ornithological Congress (IOC).
The blackish tapaculo is approximately 11 cm (4.3 in) long. Males weigh 16 to 21 g (0.56 to 0.74 oz) and females 14 to 20 g (0.49 to 0.71 oz). The male of the "blackish" subspecies is dark to very dark gray and the female is dark gray, sometimes with an olive wash. The juvenile is not well known but is believed to be dull brown. The "Pacific" subspecies male is black while the female is gray, darker above and lighter below, with brown flanks. The juvenile is brown. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blackish Tapaculo sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 466 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 100th most-seen of the 424 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.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blackish Tapaculo in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blackish Tapaculo sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Blackish Tapaculo sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
Same genus: Scytalopus
The closest relatives of the Blackish Tapaculo that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (genus Scytalopus, Scytalopus Tapaculos) are Páramo Tapaculo (about 20%) and Spillmann's Tapaculo (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blackish Tapaculo is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (466 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.
