Cattle Tyrant

Cattle Tyrant

Machetornis rixosa

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at São Paulo

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%

1,865 Verified sightings at São Paulo
4,841 In all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Cattle Tyrant

The cattle tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. In Brazil, it is called suiriri-cavaleiro. It is the only member of the genus Machetornis. The relationships of this species and genus to other genera in the tyrant flycatchers are uncertain. It resembles Tyrannus flycatchers, but this may be the result of convergence.

The genus name was given to the species by George Robert Gray and is derived from the Ancient Greek makhētēs for fighter and ornis for bird, a reference to its pugnacious behaviour and habit of dispossessing other species of their nests. The specific name comes from the Latin rixosus meaning quarrelsome, again referring to the behaviour and temperament of the species.

The species has a disjunct distribution, with three subspecies accepted: Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:20

Brazil · 2026

© Glauko Corrêa da Silva · XC1183253 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:00

Brazil · 2023

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC840182 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:24

Argentina · 2023

© Sabrina Andrea Rendon Anaya · XC826651 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~70%
2 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~60%
3 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
4 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
7 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
8 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
9 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
11 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
12 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
13 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
14 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
16 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
17 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
18 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
19 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
20 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
21 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
22 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~70%
2 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
4 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
5 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~30%
6 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
7 Natal 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
8 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
9 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
10 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cattle Tyrant in São Paulo?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cattle Tyrant sighting in São Paulo on a given day, based on 1,865 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 50th most-seen of the 353 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Cattle Tyrant in São Paulo?

May and October–December

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cattle Tyrant in São Paulo on a given day, against about 10% in January–April and June–September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Cattle Tyrant?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

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

Is São Paulo the best place to see a Cattle Tyrant?

22nd of 33

Of the 33 cities where we can rate Cattle Tyrant sightings, São Paulo ranks 22nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Rosario (Argentina, about 70%), Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 50%) and Campo Grande (Brazil, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Cattle Tyrant live in São Paulo?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Cattle Tyrant that you can see in São Paulo (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (over 90%), Tropical Kingbird (about 30%) and Boat-billed Flycatcher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Cattle Tyrant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cattle Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in São Paulo (1,865 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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