Pseudotriccus ruficeps
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The rufous-headed pygmy tyrant (Pseudotriccus ruficeps) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with at least one record in Venezuela. The rufous-headed pygmy tyrant was originally described as "Musicapa (Todirostrum?) ruficeps". It was later moved to the monotypic genus Caenotriccus which in the middle of the twentieth century was merged into Pseudotriccus.
The rufous-headed pygmy tyrant has no subspecies. However, the population in central Peru is treated by some authors as subspecies P. r. haplopteryx, and populations further south are suspected to be a separate species. The rufous-headed pygmy tyrant is about 11 cm (4.3 in) long and weighs 7 to 9 g (0.25 to 0.32 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have an entirely bright orange-rufous head and throat. Their upperparts are dark olive and their tail dull chestnut. Their wings are dark dusky with wide dull chestnut edges; the wings appear fully chestnut. The central Peruvian population has browner wings. Their breast and flanks are grayish olive and the center of their belly and their undertail... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 146 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 203rd most-seen of the 424 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 and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-headed Pygmy-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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (146 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.
