Royal Flycatcher
Royal FlycatcherRoyal FlycatcherRoyal FlycatcherRoyal Flycatcher

Royal Flycatcher

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Tikal National Park
547 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,786 Verified sightings across all 43 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Royal Flycatcher

The tropical royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus) is a passerine bird that most taxonomic systems place in family Onychorhynchidae. It is found in Mexico, south through most of Central America, and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The tropical royal flycatcher was formally described in 1776 by the German zoologist Philipp Statius Müller under the binomial name Muscicapa coronata. Müller based his account on a hand-colored illustration of the "Tyran hupé de Cayenne" that had been engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet. The specific epithet is from Latin coronatus meaning "crowned". The tropical royal flycatcher is now placed together with Atlantic royal flycatcher in the genus Onychorhynchus that was introduced in 1810 by the German naturalist Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim.

After a complicated history (which see here), the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy placed the tropical royal flycatcher and the Atlantic royal flycatcher (O. swainsoni) in family Onychorhynchidae.

However, the tropical royal flycatcher's taxonomy remains unsettled. The North and South American Classification... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Social Flycatcher
LC

Social Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiozetetes similis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
LC

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
LC

Yellow-olive Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tolmomyias sulphurescens

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Eye-ringed Flatbill
LC

Eye-ringed Flatbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rhynchocyclus brevirostris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Brown-crested Flycatcher
LC

Brown-crested Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Bright-rumped Attila
LC Endemic

Bright-rumped Attila

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Attila spadiceus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Great Crested Flycatcher
LC

Great Crested Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myiarchus crinitus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Northern Bentbill
LC

Northern Bentbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oncostoma cinereigulare

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Tropical Kingbird
LC

Tropical Kingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Great Kiskadee
LC

Great Kiskadee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pitangus sulphuratus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Stub-tailed Spadebill
LC

Stub-tailed Spadebill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Platyrinchus cancrominus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
LC

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Empidonax flaviventris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

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

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
2 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
6 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
9 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
10 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
12 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
13 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
14 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
16 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
19 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
20 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
21 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
22 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
25 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
27 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
30 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
31 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
32 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
Insufficient data
33 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
34 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
35 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
Insufficient data
36 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
37 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
38 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
39 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
40 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
41 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
42 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
43 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Royal Flycatcher in Tikal National Park?

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Royal Flycatcher sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 547 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Royal Flycatcher in Tikal National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Royal Flycatcher in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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