Colonia colonus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The long-tailed tyrant (Colonia colonus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Central America from Honduras to Panama and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
The long-tailed tyrant was originally described as Muscicapa colonus, erroneously including it in the Old World flycatcher family. The long-tailed tyrant is the only member of genus Colonia. It has these five subspecies:
Adults weigh 15 to 18 g (0.53 to 0.63 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies C. c. colonus are mostly dull black with a white forehead and forecrown, a whitish rump, and a grayish black belly. Their central pair of tail feathers can extend up to 13 cm (5.1 in) beyond the others and have somewhat widened tips. They are often worn or broken... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 12 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 14 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 16 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 17 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 20 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 21 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Tyrant sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 291 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Tyrant in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 10% in August–September and November–January, the lowest months. That is one of Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 560 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-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.
4th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Tyrant sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 40%), Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and Manu National Park (Peru, about 20%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Long-tailed 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 Long-tailed Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (291 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.
