Squirrel Cuckoo
Squirrel CuckooSquirrel CuckooSquirrel CuckooSquirrel Cuckoo

Squirrel Cuckoo

Piaya cayana

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Tikal National Park
747 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
43,792 Verified sightings across all 83 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Squirrel Cuckoo

The common squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. The species was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Mexican squirrel cuckoo (Piaya mexicana).

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the common squirrel cuckoo in the fourth volume of his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. He used the French name Le coucou de Cayenne and the Latin name Cuculus cayanensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson in his Ornithologie. One of these was the common squirrel cuckoo. Linnaeus included a terse description, coined the binomial name Cuculus cayanus and cited Brisson's work. The common squirrel cuckoo is now placed with the Mexican squirrel cuckoo and the black-bellied cuckoo... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Pheasant Cuckoo
LC

Pheasant Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dromococcyx phasianellus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Groove-billed Ani
LC

Groove-billed Ani

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Striped Cuckoo
LC

Striped Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tapera naevia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
LC

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coccyzus americanus

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 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~50%
2 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~50%
3 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
4 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
5 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~50%
6 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
7 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
8 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
9 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
10 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
11 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~40%
12 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
~40%
13 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
14 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~40%
15 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
16 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
17 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
18 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
19 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
20 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
21 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
22 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
23 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
24 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
25 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
26 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
27 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
28 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
29 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
30 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
31 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
32 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~30%
33 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
34 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
35 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
36 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
37 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
38 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
39 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
40 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
41 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
42 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
43 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
44 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
45 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
46 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
47 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
48 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
49 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
50 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
51 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
52 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
53 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
54 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
55 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
56 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
57 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
58 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
59 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
60 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
61 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
62 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
63 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
64 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
65 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
66 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
67 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
68 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
69 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
70 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
71 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
72 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
73 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
74 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
75 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
76 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
77 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
78 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
79 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
80 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
81 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
82 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
83 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data

Quick answers

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

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Squirrel Cuckoo sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 747 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

December has the highest sighting rate for Squirrel Cuckoo in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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