Arundinicola leucocephala
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The white-headed marsh tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala), commonly referred to as the marsh tyrant, is a small passerine bird belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family. It is the sole species within the genus Arundinicola. This diurnal bird, exclusively found in South America, exhibits sexual dimorphism and is known to have monogamous mating behavior.
Male marsh tyrants possess a distinct appearance, featuring a white head with a small crest, a white throat, and a contrasting black body. They have dark brown irises, black legs, and a bill that consists of a black upper mandible and a yellow lower mandible. Typically, they weigh around 13 grams and measure approximately 13 centimeters in length.
Female marsh tyrants have a white forecrown and throat, along with a greyish-brown breast and flanks. Their wings and tail are also greyish-brown, although they are more uniform and significantly darker. The average weight of a female ranges from 12 to 12.5 grams, and she generally measures 13 centimeters in length. Females and juveniles have similar appearances.
The white-headed marsh tyrant is a monotypic species within the Tyrannidae... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 4 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Marsh Tyrant sighting in Recife on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 90 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Marsh Tyrant in Recife on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, August–September and November–February, the lowest months. That is one of Recife's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 25 mm in November.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Marsh 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.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate White-headed Marsh Tyrant sightings, Recife ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vitória (Brazil, about 10%) and Barranquilla (Colombia, about 10%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the White-headed Marsh Tyrant that you can see in Recife (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 80%), Masked Water-Tyrant (about 70%) and Social Flycatcher (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-headed Marsh Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Recife (7 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.
