This astonishing bird is a mythical target species for birders traveling to Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela. Much sought but hardly ever seen, it has a geographically vast distribution from Colombia south through the Andes into Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

A healthy population of this bird is found at the Otún-Quimbaya Wildlife Sanctuary above Pereira (Risaralda). It can also be seen above Queremal in the Western Andes.