Progne tapera
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The brown-chested martin (Progne tapera) is a species of passerine bird in the family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. It is found regularly in Panama and every mainland South American country except Chile. It has been documented as a vagrant in Aruba and Chile and there are unconfirmed reports from the Falkland Islands. It is a casual visitor to Costa Rica and has been recorded in Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
The brown-chested martin was originally described in 1766 as Hirundo Tapera. It was later moved to genus Progne that had been erected in 1826. However, for much of the twentieth century it was placed by itself in genus Phaeoprogne before being restored to its present Progne.
The brown-chested martin is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 30 to 40 g (1.1 to 1.4 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a mostly sandy brown head with a white chin and throat. Their upperparts are sandy brown. Their tail is slightly forked; it and their wings are a darker...
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 5 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 7 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 9 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 10 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-chested Martin sighting in Madidi National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 239 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-chested Martin in Madidi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and July, the lowest months. That is one of Madidi National Park's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 40 mm in July. March and December have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-chested Martin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Brown-chested Martin sightings, Madidi National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 30%), Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown-chested Martin is recorded against all the birds logged in Madidi National Park (17 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.
