Chiltepin (Tepin, Bird’s Eye, Bird Pepper)

There are dozens of varieties of Bird Peppers throughout the world. The two best known varieties in North America are Chiltepin and Pequin.

The Chiltepin is native to southern North America and northern South America. Common names include Tepin, chiltepe, and chile tepin, as well as turkey, bird’s eye, or simply bird peppers, due to their consumption and spread by wild birds.

Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Chiltepin can potentially be hotter than the habanero or red savina, supported with the numbers reported from Craig Dremann’s Pepper Hotness Test scores. However, since this pepper is harvested from wild peppers in the Mexican desert, the heat level of the fruit can vary greatly from year to year. While the heat is intense, it is not very enduring.