Tyrant flycatcher
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Jump to navigation Jump to search 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 (disambiguation). Tyrant flycatchers
Yellowish flycatcher,
Empidonax flavescens Scientific classification Kingdom:
Animalia Phylum:
Chordata Class:
Aves Order:
Passeriformes Parvorder:
Tyrannida Family: Tyrannidae
Vigors, 1825
Genera Some 100, see text Distribution of tyrant flycatchers
The
tyrant flycatchers (
Tyrannidae) are a
family of
passerine birds which occur throughout
North and
South America. They are considered the largest family of birds, 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. As could be expected from a family this large, the members vary greatly in shape, patterns, size and colors. Some tyrant flycatchers 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.
[1] Most, but not all, species are rather plain, with various hues of brown, gray and white commonplace. 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 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 4–5 grams. 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.
[2] 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)), but this is mainly due to their extremely long tails; the fork-tailed flycatcher has relatively the longest tail feathers of any known bird.
[3] 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,
[4] but although it is still thought that these genera are
basal to most of the family, they are not each other's closest relatives.
[4]
