Piratic Flycatcher
Legatus leucophaius
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusLegatus
- SpeciesLegatus leucophaius (Piratic Flycatcher)
About the Piratic Flycatcher
The piratic flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius) is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Chile, though in Uruguay only as a vagrant. It has also occurred several times as a vagrant in the southern United States.
The piratic flycatcher was originally described in 1818 as Platyrhynchos leucophaius. It was later moved to its current genus Legatus that was erected in 1859. For a time it was also known as Legatus albicollis. The piratic flycatcher is the only member of genus Legatus. It has two subspecies, the nominate L. l. leucophaius (Vieillot, 1818) and L. l. variegatus (Sclater, PL, 1857).
The piratic flycatcher is 14.5 to 17 cm (5.7 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 19 to 26 g (0.67 to 0.92 oz). The sexes and the subspecies have the same plumage though subspecies L. l. variegatus is significantly larger than the nominate. Adults have a blackish forehead and crown with a partially hidden yellow patch on the latter. They have a wide dull whitish supercilium that extends... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Myiarchus tuberculifer
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
Tolmomyias sulphurescens
Eye-ringed Flatbill
Rhynchocyclus brevirostris
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus tyrannulus
Bright-rumped Attila
Attila spadiceus
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Northern Bentbill
Oncostoma cinereigulare
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Royal Flycatcher
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Stub-tailed Spadebill
Platyrinchus cancrominus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Piratic Flycatcher in Tikal National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Piratic Flycatcher sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Piratic Flycatcher in Tikal National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Piratic Flycatcher in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.