Ornithion brunneicapillus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The brown-capped tyrannulet (Ornithion brunneicapillus) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela and reported for the first time in Nicaragua in 2011.
The brown-capped tyrannulet and the yellow-bellied tyrannulet (O. semiflavum) were for a time considered to be conspecific and now are deemed a superspecies. Both are now monotypic. The brown-capped tyrannulet is about 8 cm (3.1 in) long and weighs about 7 to 8 g (0.25 to 0.28 oz). It is a small flycatcher with a pointed bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a brownish olive to dark brown crown with a white forehead, lores, and supercilium on an otherwise olive face. Their upperparts are olive. Their wings and tail are dusky olive. Their underparts are bright yellow with faint olive streaks on the breast and flanks. Both sexes have a brown iris, a black bill with an arched maxilla, and dark gray legs and feet. Juveniles have a more olive crown, a less distinct supercilium, paler tips on the wing coverts, and paler yellow underparts than adults. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 12 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 15 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-capped Tyrannulet sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 283 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 348 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-capped Tyrannulet in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-capped Tyrannulet 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 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Brown-capped Tyrannulet sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 30%), San Lorenzo Protected Forest (Panama, about 20%) and Tayrona National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Brown-capped Tyrannulet that you can see in Tortuguero National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 70%), Tropical Kingbird (about 50%) and Social Flycatcher (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown-capped Tyrannulet is recorded against all the birds logged in Tortuguero National Park (283 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.
