Pseudotriccus ruficeps
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant sighting in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, based on 164 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 112th most-seen of the 446 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant sightings, Podocarpus National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant that you can see in Podocarpus National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Cinnamon Flycatcher (about 30%), Tropical Kingbird (about 20%) and White-banded Tyrannulet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Podocarpus National Park (164 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.
