Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusTyrannus (Kingbirds)
- SpeciesTyrannus melancholicus (Tropical Kingbird)
About the Tropical Kingbird
The tropical kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and eastern Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the northernmost and southern breeding areas migrate to warmer parts of the range after breeding.
The tropical kingbird was formally described in 1819 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Tyrannus melancholicus. Vieillot based his description on the Suirirí-Guazú that had been described by the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara in 1805 in his book Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los páxaros del Paragüay y Rio de la Plata. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "melancholic" (that is "bad-tempered").
Three subspecies are recognised: T. m. satrapa (Cabanis & Heine, 1860) – southwest USA to north Colombia, north Venezuela and Trinidad T. m. despotes (Lichtenstein, MHK, 1823) – northeast Brazil T. m. melancholicus Vieillot, 1819 – north South America to central Argentina
An adult tropical kingbird is 22... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park
Couch's Kingbird
Tyrannus couchii
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus forficatus
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus savana
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
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 Tropical Kingbird in Tikal National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Kingbird sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 540 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Tropical Kingbird in Tikal National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Tropical Kingbird in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.