American Pygmy Kingfisher
American Pygmy KingfisherAmerican Pygmy KingfisherAmerican Pygmy Kingfisher

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
1,158 Verified sightings at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve From 2019 to 2026
6,787 Verified sightings across all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the American Pygmy Kingfisher

The American pygmy kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea) is a species of "water kingfisher" in subfamily Cerylinae of family Alcedinidae. It is found in the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America into every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay. It also occurs on Trinidad.

The first formal description of the American pygmy kingfisher was by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Alcedo aenea. The specific epithet aenea is from the Latin aeneus meaning "of a bronze colour". The current genus Chloroceryle was erected by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848.

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2006 found that the American pygmy kingfisher was a sister species to a clade containing the green-and-rufous kingfisher (C. inda) and the green kingfisher (C. americana). Two subspecies are currently recognized, the nominate C. a. aenea (Pallas, 1764) and C. a. stictoptera (Ridgway, 1884).

The American pygmy kingfisher is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long. Males weigh 10 to 16 g (0.35 to 0.56 oz) and females 12 to 16 g (0.42 to 0.56 oz). It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a shaggy... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

Green Kingfisher
LC

Green Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chloroceryle americana

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Green-and-rufous Kingfisher
LC

Green-and-rufous Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chloroceryle inda

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Amazon Kingfisher
LC

Amazon Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chloroceryle amazona

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ringed Kingfisher
LC

Ringed Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Megaceryle torquata

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Amazonian Motmot
LC

Amazonian Motmot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Momotus momota

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Broad-billed Motmot
LC

Broad-billed Motmot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Electron platyrhynchum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rufous Motmot
LC

Rufous Motmot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Baryphthengus martii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~40%
2 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
3 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
4 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
5 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
8 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
9 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
10 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
12 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
15 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
16 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
18 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
22 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
23 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
25 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
26 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
27 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
33 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
34 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
35 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
38 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
39 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
40 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
41 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
42 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
43 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
44 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
45 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
46 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
47 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
48 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a American Pygmy Kingfisher in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a American Pygmy Kingfisher sighting in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, based on 1,158 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see American Pygmy Kingfisher in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for American Pygmy Kingfisher in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in our monthly data.

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