Taczanowski’s Ground-Tyrant (Muscisaxicola griseus)

Identification & Behavior: ~17.5 cm (6.8 in). The Taczanowski’s Ground-Tyrant has a gray mantle and crown with no rufous or brown. The underparts are whitish. The white superciliary starts at the base of the bill and continues slightly past the eye. The wing coverts and flight feathers are narrowly edged with whitish. It forages in open grassland and also in grassland mixes with sparse shrubbery and short scrub. It is very similar to the Cinereous Ground-tyrant but is distinguished by a generally lighter plumage and by a more conspicuous and longer superciliary that goes past the eye. Also, see, Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant.

Status: The Taczanowski’s Ground-Tyrant uncommon in the high Anders at elevations ranging between 3200-4800 m. It also occurs in Bo and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Dormilona de Taczanowski.

Sub-species: Taczanowski’s Ground-Tyrant (Muscisaxicola griseus), Taczanowski, 1884.

Note: The Tacazanowski’s Ground-Tyrant can be heard in the background of the recording of the Giant Conebill. No other recording is available for this species.

Meaning of Name: Muscisaxicola: From the genus Muscicapa Brisson 1760 (flycatcher), and genus Saxicola (wheatear Oenanthe). griseus: L. griseum, griseus or grisius= gray.

See more of the Family Tyrannidae