Myiornis atricapillus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The black-capped pygmy tyrant (Myiornis atricapillus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. The black-capped pygmy tyrant was originally described in 1875 as Orchilus atricapillus. At various times since it was described it has been placed in genus Perissotriccus and treated as a subspecies of the short-tailed pygmy tyrant (Myiornis ecaudatus). The black-capped and short-tailed pygmy tyrants apparently form a superspecies. Several authors have suggested that genus Myiornis should be merged into genus Hemitriccus.
The black-capped pygmy tyrant is monotypic. The black-capped pygmy tyrant is 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in) long; three individuals weighed 5.5 to 6 g (0.19 to 0.21 oz). It is the smallest passerine in Central America and among the smallest on Earth. Adult males have a black crown that fades to slate gray at its rear and on the nape. They have white lores that continue to a white eye-ring and a black spot by the eye on an otherwise slate gray face. Their back, rump, and uppertail coverts are bright olive green. Their greater and median wing... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 10 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 138 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and November, the lowest months. That is one of Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 560 mm of rain against 140 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-capped 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.
5th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Utría National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%), San Lorenzo Protected Forest (Panama, about 10%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 10%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 70%), Social Flycatcher (about 40%) 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 Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (138 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.
