Tyrant flycatcher

The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America.[1] They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are 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. They are members of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), which do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.[2]

This article is about the new world tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. For the old world flycatcher family Muscicapidae, see Old World flycatcher. For other uses, see Flycatcher.

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

Some 100, see text

Distribution of tyrant flycatchers

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,[3] but although it is still thought that these genera are basal to most of the family, they are not each other's closest relatives.[3]

Description

Most, but not all, 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.[4] 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).[5]

Habitat and distribution

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.[6] 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.[7]

Systematics

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.

ImageGenusSpecies
Piprites Cabanis, 1847
Phyllomyias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Tyrannulus Vieillot, 1816
Myiopagis Salvin & Godman, 1888
Elaenia Sundevall, 1836
Ornithion Hartlaub, 1853
Camptostoma P.L. Sclater, 1857
Suiriri d'Orbigny, 1840
Mecocerculus P.L. Sclater, 1862
Anairetes Reichenbach, 1850
Uromyias Hellmayr, 1927
Serpophaga Gould, 1839
Nesotriccus Townsend, CH, 1895
Capsiempis Cabanis & Heine, 1859
  • Yellow tyrannulet, Capsiempis flaveola
Polystictus Reichenbach, 1850
Pseudocolopteryx Lillo, 1905
Pseudotriccus Taczanowski & Berlepsch, 1885
Corythopis Sundevall, 1836
Euscarthmus Wied-Neuwied, 1831
Pseudelaenia W. Lanyon, 1988
  • Grey-and-white tyrannulet (Pseudelaenia leucospodia)
Stigmatura Sclater & Salvin, 1866
Zimmerius Traylor, 1977
Pogonotriccus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Phylloscartes Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Mionectes Cabanis, 1844
Leptopogon Cabanis, 1844
Guyramemua Lopes et al., 2017
Sublegatus Sclater & Salvin, 1868
Inezia Cherrie, 1909
Myiophobus Reichenbach, 1850
Nephelomyias (Ohlson, Fjeldsa and Ericson, 2009)
Myiotriccus Ridgway, 1905
Tachuris Lafresnaye, 1836
Culicivora Swainson, 1827
Hemitriccus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Myiornis Bertoni, A.W., 1901
Oncostoma P.L. Sclater, 1862
Lophotriccus Berlepsch, 1884
Atalotriccus Ridgway, 1905
Poecilotriccus Berlepsch, 1884
Taeniotriccus Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902
Todirostrum – typical tody-flycatchers Lesson, 1831
Cnipodectes P.L. Sclater & Salvin, 1873
Rhynchocyclus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Tolmomyias Hellmayr, 1927
Calyptura Swainson, 1832
Platyrinchus Desmarest, 1805
Neopipo Sclater & Salvin, 1869
Pyrrhomyias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
HirundineaOrbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
Lathrotriccus Lanyon,W & Lanyon,S, 1986
Aphanotriccus Ridgway, 1905
Cnemotriccus Hellmayr, 1927
Xenotriccus Dwight & Griscom, 1927
Sayornis – phoebes Bonaparte, 1854
Mitrephanes Coues, 1882
Contopus Cabanis, 1855
Empidonax Cabanis, 1855
Pyrocephalus Gould, 1839
Ochthornis P.L. Sclater, 1888
Satrapa Strickland, 1844
Syrtidicola Chesser et al, 2020
Muscisaxicola – ground tyrants Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
Lessonia Swainson, 1832
Hymenops Lesson, 1828
Knipolegus F. Boie, 1826
Cnemarchus Ridgway, 1905
Xolmis F. Boie, 1826
Pyrope Cabanis & Heine, 1860
Nengetus Swainson, 1827
Neoxolmis Hellmayr, 1927
Myiotheretes Reichenbach, 1850
Agriornis – shrike-tyrants Gould, 1839
Gubernetes Such, 1825
Muscipipra Lesson, 1831
Fluvicola Swainson, 1827
Arundinicola d'Orbigny, 1840
Heteroxolmis Lanyon, W, 1986
Alectrurus Vieillot, 1816
Tumbezia Chapman, 1925
Silvicultrix Lanyon, W, 1986
Ochthoeca Cabanis, 1847
Colorhamphus Sundevall, 1872
Colonia
Muscigralla Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
Machetornis G.R. Gray, 1841
Legatus P.L. Sclater, 1859
Phelpsia W. Lanyon, 1984
Myiozetetes P.L. Sclater, 1859
Pitangus Swainson, 1827
Philohydor Lanyon, W, 1984
Conopias Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Myiodynastes Bonaparte, 1857
Megarynchus Thunberg, 1824
Tyrannopsis Ridgway, 1905
Empidonomus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Griseotyrannus W.E. Lanyon, 1984
Tyrannus Lacépède, 1799
Rhytipterna Reichenbach, 1850
Sirystes Cabanis & Heine, 1859
Casiornis Des Murs , 1856
Myiarchus Cabanis, 1844
Ramphotrigon G.R. Gray, 1855
Attila Lesson, 1831

See also

References
  1. "Tyrant flycatchers « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Archived from the original on 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  2. del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Christie, D. (editors). (2004) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-69-5
  3. Rheindt, F.E.; Norman, J.A.; Christidis, L. (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships of tyrant-flycatchers (Aves: Tyrannidae), with an emphasis on the elaeniine assemblage" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 46 (1): 88–101. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.09.011. PMID 18042406. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  4. CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, 2nd Edition by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (2008), ISBN 978-1-4200-6444-5.
  5. Bird, David Mitchell (2004). The Bird Almanac: A Guide to Essential Facts and Figures of the World's Birds. Buffalo, NY, USA: Firefly Books. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-55297-925-9. Archived from the original on 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  6. "List of Migratory Bird Species Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as of December 2, 2013" Archived June 7, 2019, at the Wayback Machine U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  7. BirdLife International (2007). Species factsheets. Accessed 12 December 2007 available online Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  9. Adopt the Family Tityridae Archived 2008-05-08 at the Wayback Machine – South American Classification Committee (2007)

Further reading
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