White-headed Marsh Tyrant

White-headed Marsh Tyrant

Arundinicola leucocephala

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sierra de la Macarena National Park

In 3 days <5%

7 Verified sightings at Sierra de la Macarena National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,163 In all 8 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-headed Marsh Tyrant

The white-headed marsh tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala), commonly referred to as the marsh tyrant, is a small passerine bird belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family. It is the sole species within the genus Arundinicola. This diurnal bird, exclusively found in South America, exhibits sexual dimorphism and is known to have monogamous mating behavior.

Male marsh tyrants possess a distinct appearance, featuring a white head with a small crest, a white throat, and a contrasting black body. They have dark brown irises, black legs, and a bill that consists of a black upper mandible and a yellow lower mandible. Typically, they weigh around 13 grams and measure approximately 13 centimeters in length.

Female marsh tyrants have a white forecrown and throat, along with a greyish-brown breast and flanks. Their wings and tail are also greyish-brown, although they are more uniform and significantly darker. The average weight of a female ranges from 12 to 12.5 grams, and she generally measures 13 centimeters in length. Females and juveniles have similar appearances.

The white-headed marsh tyrant is a monotypic species within the Tyrannidae... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight song0:19

French Guiana · 2025

© Paul Lenrumé · XC1064271 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:10

Brazil · 2024

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC940071 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:44

Brazil · 2012

© Andrew Spencer · XC111441 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
2 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
3 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~20%
4 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
8 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Barranquilla 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
3 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
10 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-headed Marsh Tyrant in Sierra de la Macarena National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Marsh Tyrant sighting in Sierra de la Macarena National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 380th most-seen of the 418 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-headed Marsh Tyrant in Sierra de la Macarena National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Marsh Tyrant in Sierra de la Macarena National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a White-headed Marsh Tyrant?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Marsh 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.

Is Sierra de la Macarena National Park the best place to see a White-headed Marsh Tyrant?

7th of 8

Of the 8 parks where we can rate White-headed Marsh Tyrant sightings, Sierra de la Macarena National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 30%), Amacayacu National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%) and Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 20%).

Which relatives of the White-headed Marsh Tyrant live in Sierra de la Macarena National Park?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the White-headed Marsh Tyrant that you can see in Sierra de la Macarena National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Tropical Kingbird (about 60%), Great Kiskadee (about 30%) and Rusty-margined Flycatcher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-headed Marsh Tyrant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-headed Marsh Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Sierra de la Macarena National Park (7 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.

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