Scytalopus atratus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The white-crowned tapaculo (Scytalopus atratus) is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The white-crowned tapaculo was formerly considered a subspecies of rufous-vented tapaculo (Scytalopus femoralis) but was separated based principally on differences in their vocalizations.
However, the vocalizations of birds of the eastern Andes (S. a. atratus in part) differ from those in the west, "suggesting that [they] are a separate species". The white-crowned tapaculo is 12 cm (4.7 in) long. Males weigh 24.6 to 32.5 g (0.87 to 1.15 oz) and one female weighed 25.3 g (0.89 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies is mostly blackish above and slightly lighter below. The flanks and vent are reddish brown and have black bars. It has a white patch on the crown of the head. The female is paler than the male and washed with brown above and is more reddish on the flanks. The juvenile is rust colored with heavy barring. The male S. a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Tapaculo sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 376th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Tapaculo in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-crowned 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White-crowned Tapaculo sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
Same genus: Scytalopus
The closest relatives of the White-crowned Tapaculo that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (genus Scytalopus, Scytalopus 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 White-crowned Tapaculo is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (9 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.
