Little ground tyrant

Little ground tyrant
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Muscisaxicola
Species: M. fluviatilis
Binomial name
Muscisaxicola fluviatilis
Sclater & Salvin, 1866

The little ground tyrant (Muscisaxicola fluviatilis) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Amazonian Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia; also smaller regions of Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and rivers.

Distribution

Amazon Basin, southwest

The little ground tyrant is found in the southwest Amazon Basin at higher elevations in the Basins river headwaters. The largest area of range is in the east extending into central and northwest Bolivia, and east of the Madeira River; this entire south Amazon Basin–Bolivian region is much of the headwater tributaries to the Madeira.

From central Bolivia, the range extends north through Amazonian Peru, (only crossing the southwest border areas of Brazil's Amazonas state), and extends downstream on the Marañón River and Amazon River down a riverine wildlife corridor approaching the Juruá River confluence.

Disjunct range locales occur in Ecuador; the species has a restricted-range for the south border region of Colombia along the north shore of the Marañón River, about 150 km.

Biology

The little ground tyrant is an insect eater. These birds are often found on open bars on river islands as well as on open grassy areas. They are sandy gray-brown above with darker wings edged in buff-rust, a blackish tail, white superciliary, thin blackish bill, and off-white underparts. The little ground tyrant often perches conspicuously on the ground but rarely calls.[2]

References

External links