Knipolegus nigerrimus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The velvety black tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is endemic to Brazil. The velvety black tyrant was formally described in 1818 as Muscicapa nigerrima, placing it in the Old World flycatcher family. It was later transferred to genus Knipolegus, which was erected in 1826 with the blue-billed black tyrant (K. cyanirostris) as the type species.
The velvety black tyrant's taxonomy is unsettled. The Clements taxonomy does not recognize hoflingae, treating the species as monotypic. This article follows the two-subspecies model. The velvety black tyrant is 17.5 to 18 cm (6.9 to 7.1 in) long. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely glossy blue-black and have a small bushy crest. Their primaries have white bases that are conspicuous in flight but usually not visible at rest. Adult females are also mostly glossy blue-black. They do not have a crest but have a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Velvety Black-Tyrant sighting in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, based on 738 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 352 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Velvety Black-Tyrant in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Velvety Black-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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Velvety Black-Tyrant sightings, Itatiaia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, about 20%) and Serra da Canastra National Park (Brazil, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Velvety Black-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Itatiaia National Park (738 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.
