Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (Photo by Len Blumin) · PhyloPic

Pied Puffbird

Notharchus tectus

Silhouette: Matt Wilkins (Photo by Len Blumin) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
FamilyBucconidae (Puffbirds)
GenusNotharchus (Black-and-white Puffbirds)
SpeciesNotharchus tectus (Pied Puffbird)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Arenal Volcano National Park

1 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026

2,991 Verified sightings across all 25 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Pied Puffbird

The pied puffbird (Notharchus tectus) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

The pied puffbird was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-colored plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle that was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Bucco tectus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The pied puffbird is now placed in the genus Notharchus that was introduced by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanis and Ferdinand Heine in 1863. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek nōthēs meaning "sluggish" and arkhos meaning "leader" or "chief". The specific epithet... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Arenal Volcano National Park

Notharchus hyperrhynchus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Monasa morphoeus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Micromonacha lanceolata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Malacoptila panamensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ramphastos ambiguus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Melanerpes pucherani

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Pteroglossus torquatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Ramphastos sulfuratus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Galbula ruficauda

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Colaptes rubiginosus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Campephilus guatemalensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Leuconotopicus fumigatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	~30%
2	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~30%
3	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~20%
4	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
5	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
6	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
7	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
8	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%
9	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
10	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
11	Brownsberg Nature Park	🇸🇷 Suriname	<5%
12	Canaima National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	<5%
13	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
14	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
15	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
16	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
17	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
18	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
19	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
20	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
21	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
22	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
23	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
24	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
25	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data

← Back to Arenal Volcano National Park

Pied Puffbird

About the Pied Puffbird

Recent sightings of Pied Puffbird in Arenal Volcano National Park

Closest Relatives at Arenal Volcano National Park

White-necked Puffbird

White-fronted Nunbird

Lanceolated Monklet

White-whiskered Puffbird

Black-mandibled Toucan

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Collared Aracari

Keel-billed Toucan

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found