Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Rufous Mourner
Rhytipterna holerythra
Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 36.8 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Tyrannidae Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura
- Genus Rhytipterna
- Species holerythra
Quick facts
- Weight
- 36.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Rufous Mourner is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Rufous Mourner is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) belongs to the Tyrannidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA s Mexico to nw Ecuador.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 36.8 g, with a wing length of about 10.3 cm and a tail of around 9.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 470,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Rufous Mourner?
The Rufous Mourner is a small bird that weighs around 36.8 g.
Where does the Rufous Mourner live?
The Rufous Mourner is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA s Mexico to nw Ecuador, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Rufous Mourner belong to?
The Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Rufous Mourner eat?
The Rufous Mourner is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Rufous Mourner migrate?
The Rufous Mourner is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Rufous Mourner endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Rufous Mourner make?
1 real field recording of the Rufous Mourner — including its dawn song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Rufous Mourner's range?
The Rufous Mourner has a mapped global range of about 470,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds
How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Tyrannidae
A field guide to the Tyrannidae family — 444 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.