Knipolegus poecilurus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The rufous-tailed tyrant (Knipolegus poecilurus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The rufous-tailed tyrant was formally described in 1862 as Empidochanes poecilurus. Later authors placed it genera Cnemotriccus and by itself in Eumyiobius. A 1937 publication placed it in its current genus Knipolegus.
The rufous-tailed tyrant has these five subspecies: However, each subspecies is as variable as the species as a whole and there are no significant genetic differences among them. The rufous-tailed tyrant is 14.5 to 15 cm (5.7 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 13 to 15 g (0.46 to 0.53 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies K. p. poecilurus have a mostly grayish to brownish gray head and upperparts with a whitish throat. Their wings are dusky with buff edges on the inner remiges and buffy-gray tips on the coverts that... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Tyrant sighting in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 432nd most-seen of the 542 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Tyrant in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-tailed 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 2 parks where we can rate Rufous-tailed Tyrant sightings, Farallones de Cali National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-tailed Tyrant that you can see in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Golden-faced Tyrannulet (about 50%), Common Tody-Flycatcher (about 50%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-tailed Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (19 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.
