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Tyrant flycatcher

Family of birds found in the Americas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tyrant flycatcher

The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) comprise a family of passerine birds which is found virtually throughout North and South America. It is the world's largest family of birds, with more than 400 species, and is the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and Canada. The members vary greatly in shape, patterns, size, and colors. Some tyrant flycatchers may superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, which they are named after but are not closely related to. The Tyrannidae is a member of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), a group that lacks the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.[1]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type genus ...
Tyrant flycatchers
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Yellowish flycatcher,
Empidonax flavescens
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Parvorder: Tyrannida
Family: Tyrannidae
Vigors, 1825
Type genus
Tyrannus
Genera

Some 100, see text

Thumb
Distribution of tyrant flycatchers
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A number of species previously included in this family are now placed in the family Tityridae (see Systematics). Sibley and Alquist in their 1990 bird taxonomy had the genera Mionectes, Leptopogon, Pseudotriccus, Poecilotriccus, Taenotriccus, Hemitriccus, Todirostrum and Corythopis as a separate family Pipromorphidae,[2] but although it is still thought that these genera are basal to most of the family, they are not each other's closest relatives.[2]

Description

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Perspective

Most species are rather plain, with various hues of brown, gray and white commonplace, often providing some degree of presumed camouflage. Obvious exceptions include the bright red vermilion flycatcher, blue, black, white and yellow many-colored rush-tyrant and some species of tody-flycatchers or tyrants, which are often yellow, black, white and/or rufous, from the Todirostrum, Hemitriccus and Poecilotriccus genera. Several species have bright yellow underparts, from the ornate flycatcher to the great kiskadee. Some species have erectile crests. Several of the large genera (i.e. Elaenia, Myiarchus or Empidonax) are quite difficult to tell apart in the field due to similar plumage and some are best distinguished by their voices. Behaviorally they can vary from species such as spadebills which are tiny, shy and live in dense forest interiors to kingbirds, which are relatively large, bold, inquisitive and often inhabit open areas near human habitations. As the name implies, a great majority of tyrant flycatchers are almost entirely insectivorous (though not necessarily specialized in flies). Tyrant flycatchers are largely opportunistic feeders and often catch any flying or arboreal insect they encounter. However, food can vary greatly and some (like the large great kiskadee) will eat fruit or small vertebrates (e.g. small frogs). In North America, most species are associated with a "sallying" feeding style, where they fly up to catch an insect directly from their perch and then immediately return to the same perch. Most tropical species, however, do not feed in this fashion and several types prefer to glean insects from leaves and bark. Tropical species are sometimes found in mixed-species foraging flocks, where various types of passerines and other smallish birds are found feeding in proximity.

The smallest family members are the closely related short-tailed pygmy tyrant and black-capped pygmy tyrant from the genus Myiornis (the first species usually being considered marginally smaller on average). These species reach a total length of 6.5–7 cm (2.6–2.8 in) and a weight of 4 to 5 g (0.14 to 0.18 oz). By length, they are the smallest passerines on earth, although some species of Old World warblers apparently rival them in their minuscule mean body masses if not in total length.[3] The minuscule size and very short tail of the Myiornis pygmy tyrants often lend them a resemblance to a tiny ball or insect. The largest tyrant flycatcher is the great shrike-tyrant at 29 cm (11 in) and 99.2 grams (0.219 pounds). A few species such as the streamer-tailed tyrant, scissor-tailed flycatcher and fork-tailed flycatcher have a larger total length — up to 41 cm (16 in) in the fork-tailed flycatcher at least — but this is mainly due to their extremely long tails; the fork-tailed flycatcher has the longest tail feathers of any known bird relative to their size (this being in reference to true tail feathers, not to be confused with elongated tail streamers as seen in some from the Phasianidae family of galliforms).[4]

Habitat and distribution

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Perspective

Species richness of Tyrannidae, when compared to habitat, is highly variable, although most every land habitat in the Americas has at least some of these birds. The habitats of tropical lowland evergreen forest and montane evergreen forest have the highest single site species diversity while many habitats including rivers, palm forest, white sand forest, tropical deciduous forest edge, southern temperate forest, southern temperate forest edge, semi-humid/humid montane scrub, and northern temperate grassland have the lowest single species diversity. The variation between the highest and the lowest is extreme; ninety species can be found in the tropical lowland evergreen forests while the number of species that can be found in the habitats listed above typically are in the single digits. This may be due in part to the fewer niches found in certain areas and therefore fewer places for the species to occupy.

Tyrannidae specialization among habitats is very strong in tropical lowland evergreen forests and montane evergreen forests. These habitat types, therefore, display the greatest specialization. The counts differ by three species (tropical lowland evergreen forests have 49 endemic species and montane evergreen forests have 46 endemic species). It can be assumed that they both have similar levels of specialization.

Regionally, the Atlantic Forest has the highest species richness with the Chocó following closely behind.

Status and conservation

The northern beardless tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe) is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.[5] This species is common south of the US border. The situation for a number of other species from South and Central America is far more problematic. In 2007, BirdLife International (and consequently IUCN) considered two species, the Minas Gerais tyrannulet and Kaempfer's tody-tyrant critically endangered. Both are endemic to Brazil. Additionally, seven species were considered endangered and eighteen species vulnerable.[6]

Systematics

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Perspective

The family's name is derived from an early description of the eastern kingbird as "the tyrant" by naturalist Mark Catesby in the 1730s. Carl Linnaeus adopted that name for the entire family Tyrannidae, because he admired Catesby's work.[7]

The family contains 447 species divided into 104 genera.[8] A full list, sortable by common and binomial names, is at list of tyrant flycatcher species. Species in the genera Tityra, Pachyramphus, Laniocera and Xenopsaris were formerly placed in this family, but evidence suggested they belong in their own family, the Tityridae,[9] where they are now placed by SACC.

More information Image, Genus ...
ImageGenusSpecies
ThumbPiprites Cabanis, 1847
ThumbPhyllomyias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbAcrochordopus Berlepsch & Hellmayr, 1905
ThumbTyranniscus Cabanis & Heine, 1860
ThumbTyrannulus Vieillot, 1816
ThumbMyiopagis Salvin & Godman, 1888
ThumbElaenia Sundevall, 1836
ThumbOrnithion Hartlaub, 1853
ThumbCamptostoma P.L. Sclater, 1857
ThumbSuiriri d'Orbigny, 1840
ThumbMecocerculus P.L. Sclater, 1862
ThumbAnairetes Reichenbach, 1850
ThumbUromyias Hellmayr, 1927
ThumbSerpophaga Gould, 1839
ThumbNesotriccus Townsend, CH, 1895
ThumbCapsiempis Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbPolystictus Reichenbach, 1850
ThumbPseudocolopteryx Lillo, 1905
ThumbPseudotriccus Taczanowski & Berlepsch, 1885
ThumbCorythopis Sundevall, 1836
ThumbEuscarthmus Wied-Neuwied, 1831
ThumbPseudelaenia W. Lanyon, 1988
ThumbStigmatura Sclater & Salvin, 1866
ThumbZimmerius Traylor, 1977
ThumbPogonotriccus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbPhylloscartes Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbMionectes Cabanis, 1844
ThumbLeptopogon Cabanis, 1844
ThumbGuyramemua Lopes et al., 2017
ThumbSublegatus Sclater & Salvin, 1868
ThumbInezia Cherrie, 1909
ThumbMyiophobus Reichenbach, 1850
ThumbNephelomyias (Ohlson, Fjeldsa and Ericson, 2009)
ThumbMyiotriccus Ridgway, 1905
ThumbTachuris Lafresnaye, 1836
ThumbCulicivora Swainson, 1827
ThumbHemitriccus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbMyiornis Bertoni, A.W., 1901
ThumbOncostoma P.L. Sclater, 1862
ThumbLophotriccus Berlepsch, 1884
ThumbAtalotriccus Ridgway, 1905
ThumbPoecilotriccus Berlepsch, 1884
ThumbTaeniotriccus Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902
ThumbTodirostrum – typical tody-flycatchers Lesson, 1831
ThumbCnipodectes P.L. Sclater & Salvin, 1873
ThumbRhynchocyclus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbTolmomyias Hellmayr, 1927
ThumbCalyptura Swainson, 1832
ThumbPlatyrinchus Desmarest, 1805
ThumbNeopipo Sclater & Salvin, 1869
ThumbPyrrhomyias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbHirundinea Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
ThumbLathrotriccus Lanyon,W & Lanyon,S, 1986
ThumbAphanotriccus Ridgway, 1905
ThumbCnemotriccus Hellmayr, 1927
ThumbXenotriccus Dwight & Griscom, 1927
ThumbSayornis – phoebes Bonaparte, 1854
ThumbMitrephanes Coues, 1882
ThumbContopus Cabanis, 1855
ThumbEmpidonax Cabanis, 1855
ThumbPyrocephalus Gould, 1839
ThumbOchthornis P.L. Sclater, 1888
ThumbSatrapa Strickland, 1844
ThumbSyrtidicola Chesser et al, 2020
ThumbMuscisaxicola – ground tyrants Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
ThumbLessonia Swainson, 1832
ThumbHymenops Lesson, 1828
ThumbKnipolegus F. Boie, 1826
ThumbCnemarchus Ridgway, 1905
ThumbXolmis F. Boie, 1826
ThumbPyrope Cabanis & Heine, 1860
ThumbNengetus Swainson, 1827
ThumbNeoxolmis Hellmayr, 1927
ThumbMyiotheretes Reichenbach, 1850
ThumbAgriornis – shrike-tyrants Gould, 1839
ThumbGubernetes Such, 1825
ThumbMuscipipra Lesson, 1831
ThumbFluvicola Swainson, 1827
ThumbArundinicola d'Orbigny, 1840
ThumbHeteroxolmis Lanyon, W, 1986
ThumbAlectrurus Vieillot, 1816
ThumbTumbezia Chapman, 1925
ThumbSilvicultrix Lanyon, W, 1986
ThumbOchthoeca Cabanis, 1847
ThumbColorhamphus Sundevall, 1872
ThumbColonia
ThumbMuscigralla Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
ThumbMachetornis G.R. Gray, 1841
ThumbLegatus P.L. Sclater, 1859
ThumbPhelpsia W. Lanyon, 1984
ThumbMyiozetetes P.L. Sclater, 1859
ThumbPitangus Swainson, 1827
ThumbPhilohydor Lanyon, W, 1984
ThumbConopias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbMyiodynastes Bonaparte, 1857
ThumbMegarynchus Thunberg, 1824
ThumbTyrannopsis Ridgway, 1905
ThumbEmpidonomus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbGriseotyrannus W.E. Lanyon, 1984
ThumbTyrannus Lacépède, 1799
ThumbRhytipterna Reichenbach, 1850
ThumbSirystes Cabanis & Heine, 1859
ThumbCasiornis Des Murs , 1856
ThumbMyiarchus Cabanis, 1844
ThumbRamphotrigon G.R. Gray, 1855
ThumbAttila Lesson, 1831
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See also

References

Further reading

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