Limpkin
LimpkinLimpkinLimpkinLimpkin

Limpkin

Aramus guarauna

Silhouette: lwolfartist (photograph), T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Iguazú National Park
371 Verified sightings at Iguazú National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,482 Verified sightings across all 63 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Limpkin

The limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes, and the only extant species in the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina, but individuals have been reported as far north as Wisconsin, and Southern Ontario. It feeds on molluscs, with the diet dominated by apple snails of the genus Pomacea. Its name derives from its seeming limp when it walks. It has also been called "carrao", "courlan", and "crying bird".

The limpkin is placed in the family Aramidae, which is in turn placed within the crane and rail order Gruiformes. The limpkin had been suggested to be close to the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, based upon shared bird lice. The Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds, based upon DNA–DNA hybridization, suggested that the limpkin's closest relatives were the Heliornithidae finfoots, and Sibley and Monroe even placed the species in that family in 1990. More recent studies have found little support for this relationship. More recent DNA studies have confirmed a close relationship with particularly the cranes, with the limpkin remaining as... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Iguazú National Park

Blackish Rail
LC

Blackish Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pardirallus nigricans

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail
LC

Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aramides saracura

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Rufous-sided Crake
LC

Rufous-sided Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Laterallus melanophaius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Azure Gallinule
LC

Azure Gallinule

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porphyrio flavirostris

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Moorhen
LC

Common Moorhen

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinula chloropus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ash-throated Crake
LC

Ash-throated Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porzana albicollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
American Purple Gallinule

American Purple Gallinule

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porphyrio martinica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
LC

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aramides cajanea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Spotted Rail
LC

Spotted Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pardirallus maculatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sungrebe
LC

Sungrebe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Heliornis fulica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Uniform Crake
LC

Uniform Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amaurolimnas concolor

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~50%
2 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
3 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~50%
4 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
5 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
6 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~20%
7 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
8 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
9 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
10 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
11 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
12 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
13 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
15 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
16 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
17 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
18 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
19 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
20 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
21 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
23 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
24 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
25 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
26 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
28 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
29 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
32 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
33 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
34 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
35 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
36 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
38 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
39 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
40 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
41 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
42 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
43 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
44 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
45 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
46 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Insufficient data
47 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
48 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
49 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
50 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
51 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
52 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
53 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
54 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
55 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
56 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
57 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
58 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
59 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
60 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
61 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
62 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
63 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Limpkin in Iguazú National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Limpkin sighting in Iguazú National Park, based on 371 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Limpkin in Iguazú National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Limpkin in Iguazú National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Iguazú National Park