Boat-billed Flycatcher

Boat-billed Flycatcher

Megarynchus pitangua

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at San Salvador

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

621 Verified sightings at San Salvador
36,645 In all 72 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Boat-billed Flycatcher

The boat-billed flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua) is a large member of the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country, on Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country though only as a vagrant in Chile.

The boat-billed flycatcher was originally described as Lanius pitangua, mistakenly placing it in the shrike family. It was eventually moved to its present genus Megarynchus that was erected in 1824. That name is from the Greek "μεγα" (mega) meaning "much" and "ῥυγχος" (rhunkhos) meaning "bill". The specific epithet derives from the Tupi language name for the bird, "Pitanguá guacú".

The boat-billed flycatcher is the only member of its genus and has these six subspecies: There are differences among the subspecies' vocalizations, leading some authors to state that "critical re-evaluation of [the] races is needed". The Clements taxonomy recognizes some distinctions within the species by calling... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:11

Uruguay · 2026

© Luciano Buck · XC1175335 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:19

Ecuador · 2024

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1154959 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Duet0:04

Brazil · 2026

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1083455 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~60%
2 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
3 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~40%
4 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~40%
5 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~40%
6 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
7 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
8 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
9 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
10 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
11 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
12 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
13 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
14 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
15 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
16 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
17 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
18 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
19 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~30%
20 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
21 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
22 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
23 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
24 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~30%
25 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
26 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
27 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
28 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
29 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
30 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
31 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
32 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
33 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
34 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
35 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
36 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
37 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
38 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
39 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
40 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
41 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
42 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
43 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
44 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
45 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
46 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
47 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
48 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
49 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
50 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
51 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
52 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
53 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
54 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
55 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
56 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
57 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
58 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
59 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
60 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
61 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
62 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
63 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
64 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
65 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
66 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
67 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
68 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
69 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
70 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
71 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
72 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
2 Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~50%
3 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
4 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
5 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
6 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
7 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
8 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
9 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
10 Guayaquil 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Aviario Nacional de Colombia 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Boat-billed Flycatcher in San Salvador?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Boat-billed Flycatcher sighting in San Salvador on a given day, based on 621 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 153 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Boat-billed Flycatcher in San Salvador?

March, August and November

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Boat-billed Flycatcher in San Salvador on a given day, against about 20% in April–July, September–October and December–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Boat-billed Flycatcher?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Boat-billed 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.

Is San Salvador the best place to see a Boat-billed Flycatcher?

14th of 31

Of the 31 cities where we can rate Boat-billed Flycatcher sightings, San Salvador ranks 14th at about 20%. The best odds are in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, about 50%), Tegucigalpa (Honduras, about 50%) and Campo Grande (Brazil, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Boat-billed Flycatcher live in San Salvador?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Boat-billed Flycatcher that you can see in San Salvador (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Social Flycatcher (about 70%), Tropical Kingbird (about 50%) and Great Kiskadee (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Boat-billed Flycatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Boat-billed Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in San Salvador (621 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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