Thamnophilus ruficapillus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The rufous-capped antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapillus) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
The rufous-capped antshrike was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 and given its current binomial name Thamnophilus ruficapillus. It and the rufous-winged antshrike (T. torquatus) are sister species. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society is considering a proposal to lump them as a single species.
In addition to the possibility of the lump, the rufous-capped antshrike's taxonomy is further unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee and the Clements taxonomy assign it these five subspecies: Thamnophilus ruficapillus jaczewskii Domaniewski, 1925
Thamnophilus ruficapillus marcapatae Hellmayr, 1912 Thamnophilus ruficapillus subfasciatus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1876 Thamnophilus ruficapillus cochabambae (Chapman, 1921) Thamnophilus ruficapillus ruficapillus Vieillot, 1816
However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 5 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Antshrike sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 232nd most-seen of the 294 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-capped Antshrike in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Serra da Canastra National Park's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-capped Antshrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Rufous-capped Antshrike sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 10%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, under 5%).
Same genus: Thamnophilus
The closest relatives of the Rufous-capped Antshrike that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (genus Thamnophilus, Typical Antshrikes) are Rufous-winged Antshrike (about 20%) and Variable Antshrike (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-capped Antshrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra da Canastra National Park (13 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.
