Spot-billed Ground Tyrant
Muscisaxicola maculirostris
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maculirostris) is a rare tyrant flycatcher found in 6 countries, weighing about 14 g. The spot-billed ground tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
About the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant
The spot-billed ground tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and as a vagrant in Brazil.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The spot-billed ground tyrant is 14 to 15.5 cm (5.5 to 6.1 in) long and weighs 11 to 17 g (0.39 to 0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have an olive-brown crown, a whitish to buffy white supercilium and spot above their lores, a dusky line through the eye, and an olive to gray patch on the ear coverts on an otherwise whitish to dusky face. Their nape and back are olive-brown. Their wing coverts are olive-brown with buff to rufous edges. Their remiges are dusky to brownish with thin pale rufous edges. Voice: The spot-billed ground tyrant is the most vocal species in its genus. Males sing during the flight display, "a prolonged series of Pit notes accelerating slightly into a higher-pitched flourish ending with two short, clear whistles: Pi-tew!". It also makes separate pit, pip, and pew calls.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, 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 Spot-billed Ground Tyrant?
- The spot-billed ground tyrant is 14 to 15.5 cm (5.5 to 6.1 in) long and weighs 11 to 17 g (0.39 to 0.60 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Spot-billed Ground Tyrant?
- The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is a tiny sized bird weighing about 14 g.
- Where can you see a Spot-billed Ground Tyrant?
- The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant occurs in 6 countries, including Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
- What birds look similar to a Spot-billed Ground Tyrant?
- The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is most easily confused with the Rufous-naped Ground Tyrant, the White-browed Ground Tyrant and the Ochre-naped Ground Tyrant.
- Is the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant endangered?
- The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant for real
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