Rufous Mourner
Rhytipterna holerythra
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusRhytipterna (Rhytipterna Mourners)
- SpeciesRhytipterna holerythra (Rufous Mourner)
About the Rufous Mourner
The rufous mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country except El Salvador, Colombia, and Ecuador. The rufous mourner was originally described as Lipaugus holerythrus, mistakenly grouping it with the cotingas. It was later transferred to genus Rhytipterna that had been erected in 1850. Rhytipterna was also treated as a cotinga genus but a series of studies published beginning in the 1960s resulted in its movement to the tyrant flycatcher family. The rufous mourner shares the genus with the pale-bellied mourner (R. immunda) and grayish mourner (R. simplex). The rufous and greyish mourners apparently form a superspecies.
The rufous mourner has two subspecies, the nominate R. h. holerythra (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1860) and R. h. rosenbergi (Hartert, EJO, 1905). The rufous mourner is 19.5 to 21 cm (7.7 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 32 to 39 g (1.1 to 1.4 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly cinnamon brown to russet head and upperparts with a darker rufous crown. Their wings are... 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 Rufous Mourner in Tikal National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Mourner sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 157 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Rufous Mourner in Tikal National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Rufous Mourner in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.