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Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusTyrannus (Kingbirds)
- SpeciesTyrannus melancholicus (Tropical Kingbird)
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
99 Verified sightings at Coiba National Park From 2019 to 2026
92,094 In all 87 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Tropical Kingbird
The tropical kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and eastern Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the northernmost and southern breeding areas migrate to warmer parts of the range after breeding.
The tropical kingbird was formally described in 1819 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Tyrannus melancholicus. Vieillot based his description on the Suirirí-Guazú that had been described by the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara in 1805 in his book Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los páxaros del Paragüay y Rio de la Plata. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "melancholic" (that is "bad-tempered").
Three subspecies are recognised: An adult tropical kingbird is 22... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Tropical Kingbird in Coiba National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Closest Relatives at Coiba National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Tropical Kingbird in Coiba National Park?
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Kingbird sighting in Coiba National Park on a given day, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Tropical Kingbird in Coiba National Park?
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Kingbird in Coiba National Park on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month. May and October have too few records to rate.
What time of day is best to see a Tropical Kingbird?
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical Kingbird 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 Coiba National Park the best place to see a Tropical Kingbird?
40th of 87
Of the 87 parks where we can rate Tropical Kingbird sightings, Coiba National Park ranks 40th at about 40%. The best odds are in Masaya Volcano National Park (Nicaragua, about 80%), Parque Natural Metropolitano (Panama, about 80%) and Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Trinidad and Tobago, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Tropical Kingbird live in Coiba National Park?
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Tropical Kingbird that you can see in Coiba National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Yellow-bellied Elaenia (about 40%), Great Kiskadee (about 40%) and Panama Flycatcher (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Tropical Kingbird sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Coiba National Park (99 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
