Sooty Tyrannulet
Serpophaga nigricans
A very small and long-tailed flycatcher with fairly uniformly dark-gray plumage. It has a dark bill and legs with a slightly paler throat and two indistinct wingbars. Found almost always close to water such as rivers, streams, ponds, and wetlands where it is usually encountered foraging in pairs.
Identification
The sooty tyrannulet is overall a dark grey colour, with a brownish tinge to its upperparts, paler underparts, and the top of its head being somewhat darker. It has a white strip on its crown which is usually only partially visible, and its chin is whitish. On its wings it has two pale grey wingbars, and the flight feathers closest to its body are whitish. Its tail is black. It has brown irises, a black beak, and black legs. There is no difference between males and females, and there the juveniles have not been described. The sooty tyrannulet averages 118–127 mm (4.6–5.0 in) in total length. It has an average tarsus length of 16.8–20.3 mm (0.66–0.80 in), an average beak length of 8.2–9.5 mm (0.32–0.37 in), and an average tail length of 50.5–51.6 mm (1.99–2.03 in).<p>The song of the sooty tyrannulet is a series of short notes followed by a series of higher pitched notes which have been described as "canary-like". It is also known to make a sharp "teek" call. Breeding pairs have been observed making a series of quiet trills and chatters between each other. A more complex vocalization is also made when an adult is approached by a fledgeling.
Taxonomy
The sooty tyrannulet was first described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot based on observations by the Spanish military officer Félix de Azara from 1805. Azara gave it the name "Tachuri obscurito menor". In 1817, Vieillot gave it the scientific name Sylvia nigricans. In 1927, the ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr placed the sooty tyrannulet in the genus Serpophaga with the name Serpophaga nigricans. It does not have any subspecies. It was once thought be most closely related to Urich's tyrannulet, however a mitochondrial DNA study has shown that it is most closely related to the torrent tyrannulet.
- Scientific name
- Serpophaga nigricans
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Serpophaga
Range and habitat
The sooty tyrannulet is found in Tarija in southern Bolvia, Paraguay, southern Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo in southeastern Brazil, southern and central Argentina, and Uruguay. Since 2010, is has also been recorded in Tocantins in Brazil, where it had previously never been seen. The sooty tyrannulet is largely non-migratory, although the southernmost populations may migrate north once the breeding season has finished.<p>The sooty tyrannulet is typically found near streams, rivers, and bodies of water associated with agricultural areas. It prefers brushy areas near these water sources, although it can sometimes be found in forests far away from water. It can be found at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) down to sea level.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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