Terenotriccus erythrurus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The ruddy-tailed flycatcher (Terenotriccus erythrurus) is a small passerine bird in the family Onychorhynchidae. It was previously place in family Tityridae. Its range extends from southeast Mexico south to the Amazon rainforest. It is the only member of the genus Terenotriccus, but some authorities place it in genus Myiobius. However, it differs in voice, behaviour, and structure from members of that group.
The ruddy-tailed flycatcher was formally described and illustrated in 1847 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis under the binomial name Myiobius erythrurus. The type locality is Cayenne in French Guiana. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek ερυθρος/eruthros meaning "red" with -ουρος/-ouros meaning "-tailed". The ruddy-tailed flycatcher is now the only species placed in the genus Terenotriccus that was introduced in 1905 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek τερενος/terenos meaning "soft" or "delicate" with τρικκος/trikkos, an unidentified small bird which in ornithology signifies a tyrant flycatcher.
Eight subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 407th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
26th of 27
Of the 27 parks where we can rate Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 26th at under 5%. The best odds are in Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 20%), Darién National Park (Panama, about 20%) and Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (45 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.
