

Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusTyrannus (Kingbirds)
- SpeciesTyrannus melancholicus (Tropical Kingbird)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
About the Tropical Kingbird
The tropical kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and eastern Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the northernmost and southern breeding areas migrate to warmer parts of the range after breeding.
The tropical kingbird was formally described in 1819 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Tyrannus melancholicus. Vieillot based his description on the Suirirí-Guazú that had been described by the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara in 1805 in his book Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los páxaros del Paragüay y Rio de la Plata. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "melancholic" (that is "bad-tempered").
Three subspecies are recognised: An adult tropical kingbird is 22... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Tropical Kingbird in Barranquilla
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Closest Relatives at Barranquilla
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Tropical Kingbird in Barranquilla?
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Kingbird sighting in Barranquilla on a given day, based on 482 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 153 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Tropical Kingbird in Barranquilla?
April
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Kingbird in Barranquilla on a given day, against about 30% in March, the lowest month. That is one of Barranquilla's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 220 mm in October.
What time of day is best to see a Tropical Kingbird?
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical Kingbird 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 Barranquilla the best place to see a Tropical Kingbird?
28th of 60
Of the 60 cities where we can rate Tropical Kingbird sightings, Barranquilla ranks 28th at about 50%. The best odds are in Maracaibo (Venezuela, about 90%), Cali (Colombia, about 80%) and Salvador (Brazil, about 80%).
Where does the Tropical Kingbird sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Barranquilla (482 verified sightings), 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.