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Little Ground-Tyrant Syrtidicola fluviatilis Scientific name definitions

Andrew Farnsworth and Gary Langham
Version: 1.1 — Published August 18, 2021

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Introduction

The Little Ground-Tyrant is a small terrestrial flycatcher of western Amazonia in South America.  Found in Amazonian lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil below 800 meters in elevation, the species inhabits open bars on river islands as well as flat, open grassy areas.  It is sandy gray-brown above with darker wings edged in buff-rust, a blackish tail, white superciliary, thin blackish bill, and off-white underparts.  Little Ground-Tyrant often perches conspicuously on the ground and rarely calls.  It is the only Muscisaxicola ground-tyrant found within its Amazonian range.

Field Identification

13–14 cm. Has pale buffy supraloral line and eyering; above, greyish and sandy brown, wings dusky, inner remiges very narrowly edged pale greyish-cinnamon or rufescent, greater wing-coverts with narrow buffy tips (sometimes showing vague rufescent wingbars); tail black, outer web of outer feathers white; throat and breast buffy white, belly lighter; iris dark brown; bill mainly black, base of lower mandible pale fleshy yellow or orange-yellow; legs blackish. Distinguished from M. maculirostris by proportionally shorter tail, reduced white supraloral, contrasting white belly. Sexes alike.

Systematics History

Usually considered closely allied to M. maculirostris, but recent phylogenetic work (1) suggests this species may be more closely related to other taxa (e.g. Muscigralla) than to current congeners. Form titicacae is a synonym. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Extreme SE Colombia (SE Amazonas) and E Peru (N bank of R Marañón S to R Inambari) to W Brazil (E to middle R Amazon and upper R Madeira region) and NW & C Bolivia (to Cochabamba); recorded, status unknown, in W & E Ecuador (2, 3).

Habitat

Open or sparsely vegetated sandbars and river islands; sometimes in adjacent open grassy areas. The only ground-tyrant in lowlands of Amazonia. Mostly below 800 m; rarely to 1400 m in Ecuador, 1900 m in Peru; very occasionally perhaps higher, to 3200–3800 m in Bolivia (although these specimens appear to be anomalous).

Movement

Resident. Some possible movement; e.g. records at highland localities, e.g. in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia (L Titicaca, 3800 m), may involve vagrants.

Diet and Foraging

Insects. Usually found singly or in pairs, running in open, though rather inconspicuous (dorsal coloration similar to that of usual sandy habitat). Sometimes associated with migrant shorebirds. Mainly terrestrial, making short runs and hops after prey, stopping suddenly and standing erect; less frequently, sallies from the ground or a rock.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Usually quiet; call a single high-pitched “peeeép” with rising inflection.

Breeding

Aug–Oct in SE Peru. Nest is inconspicuous cup of weeds and twigs on ground amongst emerging Tessaria on large sandy beaches. Clutch 2 eggs.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Uncommon and local. Occurs in e.g. Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone and Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve, in Peru, Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Madidi National Park, in Bolivia, and Mamirauá Reserve (Amazonas), in Brazil.
Distribution of the Little Ground-Tyrant - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Little Ground-Tyrant

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Farnsworth, A. and G. Langham (2021). Little Ground-Tyrant (Syrtidicola fluviatilis), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ligtyr1.01.1
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