Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda)

Identification & Behavior: ~12 cm (4.7 in). The Short-tailed Field-Tyrant has gray mantle and crown. The wing coverts are dusky with two white wing bars. It has a white loral line. The underparts are buffy-white. It has a semi-concealed yellow crown patch. The rump is buffy and rufous. It has very long legs and a short black tail that the bird constantly wags. It forages in open and semi-open areas mostly on the ground. It is similar to a Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant and Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant but is distinguished by having white wing bars, long legs, and very short black tail the birds wags.

Status: The Short-tailed Field-Tyrant is fairly common and widespread on the western lowland and part of the Marañon basin ranging up to 1300 m along the foothill of the Andes. It also occurs in Ec and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Dormilona de Cola Corta.

Sub-species: Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda), d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye, 1837.

Meaning of Name: Muscigralla: Similar to members of the genus Muscicapa, Brisson 1760, flycatcher and grallae= stilts. brevicauda: L. brevis= short and cauda= tail.

See more of the Family Tyrannidae