Cinereous Tyrant

Knipolegus striaticeps

Tyrant Flycatchers and Allies · Passeriformes · Rare

The Cinereous Tyrant (Knipolegus striaticeps) is a rare tyrant flycatcher found in 4 countries, weighing about 11 g. The cinereous tyrant, or cinereous black-tyrant, is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.

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About the Cinereous Tyrant

The cinereous tyrant, or cinereous black-tyrant, is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, and as a vagrant to Brazil.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The cinereous tyrant is 13 to 13.5 cm (5.1 to 5.3 in) long. Adult males are shades of gray. ("Cinereous" means ash-colored.) They have mostly dark gray upperparts. Their head is darker than their body, giving the appearance of a hood, though the face is blackish gray. Their wings are dusky gray or blackish gray with grayish edges on the inner remiges and thin pale gray tips on the coverts that show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky with pale outer webs on the outer feathers. Voice: The cinereous tyrant is mostly silent. Males give a "ts-ip" call before the display flight and during the drop makes a "skidi-ik: noise that might actually be from its wings. The latter is also written as "tikitip".

Where it lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in Brazil.

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Cinereous Tyrant?
The cinereous tyrant is 13 to 13.5 cm (5.1 to 5.3 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Cinereous Tyrant?
The Cinereous Tyrant is a tiny sized bird weighing about 11 g.
Where can you see a Cinereous Tyrant?
The Cinereous Tyrant occurs in 4 countries, including Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.
What birds look similar to a Cinereous Tyrant?
The Cinereous Tyrant is most easily confused with the Rufous-tailed Tyrant, the Hudson's Black Tyrant and the Plumbeous Tyrant.
Is the Cinereous Tyrant endangered?
The Cinereous Tyrant is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Cinereous Tyrant for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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