Liosceles thoracicus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The rusty-belted tapaculo (Liosceles thoracicus) is a species of suboscine passerine bird in the tapaculo family Rhinocryptidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Liosceles. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The rusty-belted tapaculo is the only species in its genus; the genus and species were first described by Philip Lutley Sclater in 1865. The rusty-belted tapaculo is genetically most closely related to the spotted bamboowren (Psilorhamphus guttatus).
The rusty-belted tapaculo is 19.5 cm (7.7 in) long and weighs 39 to 42 g (1.4 to 1.5 oz). Its plumage is unlike that of any other tapaculo. The nominate subspecies has a grayish brown head with a white supercilium and a reddish brown back, wings, and rump. The throat is white with black streaks at the side, most of the breast is white, and the flanks and vent are barred with black, brown, and white. The upper breast has a yellow to orange brown band the gives the species its common name. Subspecies L. t. erithacus is browner on the head and the breast... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-belted Tapaculo sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 154 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 250th most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-belted Tapaculo in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and May–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rusty-belted 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rusty-belted Tapaculo sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Rusty-belted Tapaculo that you can see in Yasuní National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Yellow-rumped Cacique (about 60%), Russet-backed Oropendola (about 60%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rusty-belted Tapaculo is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (154 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.
