Long-tailed Tyrant

Long-tailed Tyrant

Colonia colonus

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Arenal Volcano National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

2,554 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
7,864 In all 21 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Long-tailed Tyrant

The long-tailed tyrant (Colonia colonus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Central America from Honduras to Panama and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

The long-tailed tyrant was originally described as Muscicapa colonus, erroneously including it in the Old World flycatcher family. The long-tailed tyrant is the only member of genus Colonia. It has these five subspecies:

Adults weigh 15 to 18 g (0.53 to 0.63 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies C. c. colonus are mostly dull black with a white forehead and forecrown, a whitish rump, and a grayish black belly. Their central pair of tail feathers can extend up to 13 cm (5.1 in) beyond the others and have somewhat widened tips. They are often worn or broken... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:24

Brazil · 2026

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1080169 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:12

Colombia · 2021

© Mauricio Cuellar Ramirez (@Birding.travel) · XC614938 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:05

Ecuador · 2021

© Patricio Mena Valenzuela · XC863385 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
3 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
4 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
8 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
9 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
10 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
12 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
14 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
16 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
17 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
18 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
20 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
21 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Long-tailed Tyrant in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Tyrant sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 2,554 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Tyrant in Arenal Volcano National Park?

April and May

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Tyrant in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August–October and December–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Long-tailed Tyrant?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Tyrant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Arenal Volcano National Park the best place to see a Long-tailed Tyrant?

6th of 21

Of the 21 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Tyrant sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 40%), Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and Manu National Park (Peru, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Long-tailed Tyrant live in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Tyrant that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 70%), Social Flycatcher (about 50%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Long-tailed Tyrant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (2,554 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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