Limpkin
LimpkinLimpkinLimpkinLimpkin

Limpkin

Aramus guarauna

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Tikal National Park
301 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,714 Verified sightings across all 65 parks From 2019 to 2026
April 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 Tikal National Park

Russet-naped Wood-Rail
LC

Russet-naped Wood-Rail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aramides albiventris

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Common Moorhen
LC

Common Moorhen

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinula chloropus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
American Purple Gallinule

American Purple Gallinule

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porphyrio martinica

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Sungrebe
LC

Sungrebe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Heliornis fulica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ruddy Crake
LC

Ruddy Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Laterallus ruber

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Sora
LC

Sora

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Porzana carolina

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
American Coot
LC

American Coot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fulica americana

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gray-breasted Crake
LC

Gray-breasted Crake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Laterallus exilis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
34 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
35 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
36 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
37 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
38 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
39 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
40 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
41 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
42 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
43 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
44 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
45 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
46 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
47 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Insufficient data
48 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
49 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
50 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
51 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
52 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
53 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
54 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
55 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
56 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
57 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
58 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
59 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
60 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
61 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
62 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
63 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
64 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
65 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

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

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Limpkin sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 301 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

April has the highest sighting rate for Limpkin in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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