Micrastur ruficollis
Silhouette: Unknown (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The barred forest falcon (Micrastur ruficollis) is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Herpetotherinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It occurs from southern Mexico south through most of Central America and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
What is now the lined forest falcon (M. gilvicollis) was previously included as a seventh subspecies. The barred forest falcon is 31 to 39 cm (12 to 15 in) long. Males weigh 144 to 184 g (5.1 to 6.5 oz) and females 200 to 322 g (7.1 to 11.4 oz). Adults of most subspecies are typically dark slate gray above; the tail is tipped with white and has three to six narrow white bars. The throat is pale gray, shading to the darker slate of the crown. The rest of the under parts, including the under-wing coverts, are white, finely and clearly barred with black or dark gray. The upper breast is a darker gray. The primary remiges... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | GüiráOga | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Forest Falcon sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 311 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 227th most-seen of the 467 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Forest Falcon in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months. That is one of Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park's wettest months, with about 570 mm of rain against 160 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Barred Forest Falcon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 33
Of the 33 parks where we can rate Barred Forest Falcon sightings, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in El Triunfo (Mexico, about 20%), Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 10%) and Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Barred Forest Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park (311 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.
