Masked Water-Tyrant

Masked Water-Tyrant

Fluvicola nengeta

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Fortaleza

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

139 Verified sightings at Fortaleza
3,179 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Masked Water-Tyrant

The masked water tyrant (Fluvicola nengeta) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and as a vagrant to Uruguay and Paraguay. The masked water tyrant was formally described in 1766 as Lanius nengeta, erroneously placing it in the shrike family Laniidae. It is now placed in the genus Fluvicola that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827. The genus name is derived from a combination of Latin fluvius meaning "river" and -cola meaning "dweller". Some early twentieth century authors called it Fluvicola climazura.

Subspecies F. n. atripennis was formally described as a species and some early twenty-first century authors suggest that it again should be treated that way. The masked water tyrant shares genus Fluvicola with the pied water tyrant (F. pica) and the black-backed water tyrant (F. albiventer).

The masked water tyrant is 14.5 to 15 cm (5.7 to 5.9 in) long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:24

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1151825 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Duet0:44

Brazil · 2026

© Robson Silva e Silva · XC1151444 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Subsong0:46

Brazil · 2022

© Ricardo José Mitidieri · XC745046 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
3 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
4 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
5 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
6 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~80%
2 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
~70%
3 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~70%
4 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~70%
5 Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
6 Natal 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
7 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
8 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
9 Campinas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
10 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Masked Water-Tyrant in Fortaleza?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Water-Tyrant sighting in Fortaleza on a given day, based on 139 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 31st most-seen of the 129 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Masked Water-Tyrant in Fortaleza?

July

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Water-Tyrant in Fortaleza on a given day, against about 20% in March and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Fortaleza's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 240 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Masked Water-Tyrant?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked Water-Tyrant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Fortaleza the best place to see a Masked Water-Tyrant?

8th of 18

Of the 18 cities where we can rate Masked Water-Tyrant sightings, Fortaleza ranks 8th at about 30%. The best odds are in Salvador (Brazil, about 80%), João Pessoa (Brazil, about 70%) and Recife (Brazil, about 70%).

Which relatives of the Masked Water-Tyrant live in Fortaleza?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Masked Water-Tyrant that you can see in Fortaleza (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 90%), Tropical Kingbird (about 60%) and Social Flycatcher (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Masked Water-Tyrant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Masked Water-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Fortaleza (139 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.

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