Velvety Black Tyrant
Knipolegus nigerrimus
The Velvety Black Tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) is a rare tyrant flycatcher found only in Brazil, weighing about 20 g. The velvety black tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
About the Velvety Black Tyrant
The velvety black tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is endemic to Brazil.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The velvety black tyrant is 17.5 to 18 cm (6.9 to 7.1 in) long. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely glossy blue-black and have a small bushy crest. Their primaries have white bases that are conspicuous in flight but usually not visible at rest. Adult females are also mostly glossy blue-black. They do not have a crest but have a black-streaked chestnut throat. Subspecies M. n. hoflingae is smaller than the nominate. Males have brown primaries and females have a smaller throat patch than the nominate. Voice: As of April 2025 xeno-canto had eight recordings of velvety black tyrant vocalizations; the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had one of them and five others. Males make "a short high See" in their display flight. Their call is "a somewhat hoarse sounding dry trilling note krrr See.rrrrr".
Where it lives
When to see it
The Velvety Black Tyrant can be seen all year round, 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 Velvety Black Tyrant?
- The velvety black tyrant is 17.5 to 18 cm (6.9 to 7.1 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Velvety Black Tyrant?
- The Velvety Black Tyrant is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.
- Where can you see a Velvety Black Tyrant?
- The Velvety Black Tyrant is endemic to Brazil, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Velvety Black Tyrant?
- The Velvety Black Tyrant is most easily confused with the Rufous-tailed Tyrant, the Blue-billed Black Tyrant and the Crested Black Tyrant.
- Is the Velvety Black Tyrant endangered?
- The Velvety Black Tyrant is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Velvety Black Tyrant for real
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