Tyrannus savana
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The fork-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a passerine bird of the tyrant flycatcher family and is a member of a genus typically referred to as kingbirds. Named for the long, forked tail, particularly in males, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in shrubland, savanna, lightly forested and grassland areas, from southern Mexico to Argentina. They are frequently observed on conspicuous perches whence they sally after insect prey. Northern populations near southern Mexico tend to be permanent residents, while fork-tailed flycatchers that live further south are migrants with a reputation for wandering as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.
The fork-tailed flycatcher was described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson under the French name "le tyran à queue fourchue" (lit. 'the fork-tailed tyrant') and then again in 1780 by Georges-Louis Buffon under the name "le savana" (because it lived in savannahs), but it was not until 1802 that François Marie Daudin coined the binomial name Tyrannus savana. The type locality is Suriname.
Four subspecies are recognised: Tyrannus savana monachus Hartlaub, 1844 – southern Mexico to Colombia, the Guianas, and northern Brazil Tyrannus savana... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 7 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 9 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Fork-tailed Flycatcher sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 105th most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fork-tailed Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
24th of 33
Of the 33 cities where we can rate Fork-tailed Flycatcher sightings, Washington ranks 24th at under 5%. The best odds are in São Luís (Brazil, about 50%), Rosario (Argentina, about 20%) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fork-tailed Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Washington (19 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.
