Machetornis rixosa
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The cattle tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. In Brazil, it is called suiriri-cavaleiro. It is the only member of the genus Machetornis. The relationships of this species and genus to other genera in the tyrant flycatchers are uncertain. It resembles Tyrannus flycatchers, but this may be the result of convergence.
The genus name was given to the species by George Robert Gray and is derived from the Ancient Greek makhētēs for fighter and ornis for bird, a reference to its pugnacious behaviour and habit of dispossessing other species of their nests. The specific name comes from the Latin rixosus meaning quarrelsome, again referring to the behaviour and temperament of the species.
The species has a disjunct distribution, with three subspecies accepted: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 8 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 11 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 12 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 13 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 14 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 16 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 17 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 18 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 19 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 20 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 21 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 22 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 6 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Natal | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cattle Tyrant sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 263 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cattle Tyrant in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cattle 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.
10th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Cattle Tyrant sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 70%), El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 60%) and El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Cattle Tyrant that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), Great Kiskadee (about 50%) and Lesser Kiskadee (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cattle Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (263 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.
