Ground tyrant
| Ground tyrants | |
|---|---|
| |
| Spot-billed ground tyrant(Muscisaxicola maculirostris) | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Muscisaxicola d'Orbigny&Lafresnaye,1837 |
| Type species | |
| Muscisaxicola rufivertex[1] d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837
| |
Theground tyrants(Muscisaxicola) are agenusofpasserinebirds belonging to thetyrant flycatcherfamily Tyrannidae. There are about 13 different species. They are ground-dwelling birds which inhabit open country inSouth America,particularly theAndesandPatagonia.Several southern species aremigratory,moving northward for the winter. Ground tyrants feed oninsectsand otherinvertebrates,mainly by picking them from the ground.
A flight display is performed during the breeding season. The nest is a cup of twigs or grass which, in most species, is built in a burrow, crevice or under rocks.
Ground tyrants are fairly small (13–20 cm in length) with longish legs, a slender bill and an erect posture. Theplumageis dull and mainly grey or brown with paler underparts. The head is variably patterned with several species havingrufouspatches on the crown or white between the bill and eye. The birds have simple calls and are often silent.
Systematics and taxonomy
[edit]A study ofmitochondrial DNAby Chesser (2000) has shown that thelittle ground tyrant(M. fluviatilis) is highly divergent and not closely related to the other ground tyrants. All the remaining species are related and form amonophyletic group,although thespot-billed ground tyrant(M. maculirostris) is somewhat divergent from the others. The little and spot-billed ground tyrants are smaller and browner than the other species and the little ground tyrant also differs in its habitat, occurring near rivers in theAmazon rainforest.[2]
Theparamo ground tyrant(M. alpinus) andTaczanowski's ground tyrant(M. griseus) were previously treated as a single species but are genetically divergent with the paramo ground tyrant belonging to a southern Andean and Patagoniancladewithin the genus and Taczanowski's ground tyrant belonging to a central Andean clade.[2]The name plain-capped ground tyrant is used by some authors to refer toM. griseuswith paramo ground tyrant used forM. alpinus.
The genus nameMuscisaxicolaismasculine,therefore the species namesgriseus,cinereus,maclovianus,alpinusandcapistratusare correct rather thangrisea,cinerea,macloviana,alpinaandcapistrata.The namesflavinuchaandalbiloraare invariable.[3]
Species list
[edit]The genus contains 12 species:[4]
- Spot-billed ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola maculirostris
- White-fronted ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola albifrons
- Ochre-naped ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola flavinucha
- Paramo ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola alpinus
- Taczanowski's ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola griseus
- Cinereous ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola cinereus
- Rufous-naped ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola rufivertex
- Dark-faced ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola maclovianus
- White-browed ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola albilora
- Cinnamon-bellied ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola capistratus
- Puna ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola juninensis
- Black-fronted ground tyrant,Muscisaxicola frontalis
Thelittle ground tyrantwas formerly placed inMuscisaxicolabut was moved to themonotypicgenusSyrtidicolafollowing the publication of a phylogenetic study in 2020.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^"Tyrannidae".aviansystematics.org.The Trust for Avian Systematics.Retrieved2023-07-16.
- ^abChesser, R. Terry (2000)."Evolution in the High Andes: the Phylogenetics ofMuscisaxicolaGround-Tyrants "(PDF).Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.15(3): 369–380.CiteSeerX10.1.1.533.7935.doi:10.1006/mpev.1999.0774.PMID10860646.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2007-06-09.Retrieved2007-07-17.
- ^South American Classification Committee (2007)A classification of the bird species of South America, part 8Archived2007-06-25 at theWayback Machine.citingDavid N. & Gosselin M. (2002). "The grammatical gender of avian genera".Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club.122:257–282.
- ^abGill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (July 2021)."Tyrant flycatchers".IOC World Bird List Version 11.2.International Ornithologists' Union.Retrieved25 July2021.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: year (link) - ^Chesser, R.T.; Harvey, M.H.; Brumfield, R.T.; Derryberry, E.P. (2020). "A revised classification of the Xolmiini (Aves: Tyrannidae: Fluvicolinae), including a new genus forMuscisaxicola fluviatilis".Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.133(1): 35–48.doi:10.2988/20-00005.
Further reading
[edit]
- Jaramillo, Alvaro; Burke, Peter & Beadle, David (2003)Field Guide to the Birds of Chile,Christopher Helm, London
- Vuilleumier, François (1994)Nesting, behavior, distribution and speciation of Patagonian and Andean ground tyrants (Myiotheretes,Xolmis,Neoxolmis,AgriornisandMuscisaxicola),Ornitologia Neotropical,5: 1–55
External links
[edit]Video, spottings and photos on Birds of the world.
- Muscisaxicola albifrons—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola albilora—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola alpinus—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola capistratus—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola cinereus—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola flavinucha—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola frontalis—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola griseus—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola juninensis—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola maclovianus—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola maculirostris—Videos and Photos
- Muscisaxicola rufivertex—Videos and Photos
