Acropternis orthonyx
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The ocellated tapaculo (Acropternis orthonyx) is a large bird found in the northern Andes in South America. It is a highly distinctive tapaculo; traditionally united with its closest relatives in the Rhinocryptidae, this family is paraphyletic with the Formicariidae (ground-antbirds) but instead of merging the tapaculos with the ground-antbird family, recent sources tend to split the antpittas from the Formicariidae.
This passerine averages 8.3-8.7 in (21–22 cm) in length and between 2.8 and 3.5 oz (80 and 100 gram). The bird is mostly black with large white spots, a brown flank, and a reddish head and throat. A call, apparently given by birds to announce their presence to conspecifics, is described as "loud, emphatic WHEEUW! whistle" which as it seems can be heard from a long distance.
It is usually encountered in pairs or alone, hopping through bamboo along the forest floor. Preferring to stay close to the ground, it is more often heard than seen. It is possible to attract ocellated tapaculos with recorded or imitated calls, which they will approach to investigate from several kilometers away.
It is sometimes divided into two subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Tapaculo sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 809 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Tapaculo in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in April, June and August–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ocellated Tapaculo 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 Ocellated Tapaculo sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%) and Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%).
Same family: Rhinocryptidae
The closest relatives of the Ocellated Tapaculo that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Rhinocryptidae, Tapaculos) are Páramo Tapaculo (about 20%), Spillmann's Tapaculo (about 10%) and Blackish Tapaculo (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ocellated Tapaculo is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (809 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.
