Sooty tyrannulet

Last updated

Sooty tyrannulet
Serpophaga nigricans 335560510.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Serpophaga
Species:
S. nigricans
Binomial name
Serpophaga nigricans
(Vieillot, 1817)
Serpophaga nigricans map.svg
Distribution of S. nigricans
  Year-round

The sooty tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is small, usually weighing 9 grams with a length of 12 centimeters, and has gray or brownish-grey feathers with black tail feathers. [2] It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay; also southern Paraguay. A small extension of its range is in southeastern Bolivia.

Contents

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, and swamps.

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". [3] In 1817, Vieillot gave it the scientific name Sylvia nigricans. [4] In 1927, the ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr placed the sooty tyrannulet in the genus Serpophaga with the name Serpophaga nigricans. [5] It does not have any subspecies. [6] 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. [5] [7]

Description

A sooty tyrannulet near Sao Paulo, Brazil Serpophaga nigricans -Rio Paranapanema, Piraju, Sao Paulo, Brasil-8.jpg
A sooty tyrannulet near São Paulo, Brazil

Spiza americana male 94 231051626 13e01e8125 o cropped flipped.png

Songs and calls

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. [8] 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). [3]

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". [8] 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. [5]

Habitat and distribution

The sooty tyrannulet is found in Tarija in southern Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil, southern and central Argentina, and Uruguay. [8] Since 2010, is has also been recorded in Tocantins in Brazil, where it had previously never been seen. [9] The sooty tyrannulet is largely non-migratory, although the southernmost populations may migrate north once the breeding season has finished. [8]

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. [8]

Behaviour and ecology

A nest built on a river bank Serpophaga nigricans 253291818.jpg
A nest built on a river bank

The sooty tyrannulet feeds on insects. When feeding, it continuously makes small short flights between perches, however it almost never lands on the ground. It darts out into midair to catch insects in flight or from the water surfaces. It often wags its tail while it is foraging. [8]

The sooty tyrannulet breeds between October and December. Both males and females contribute to nest building, and the nest is often built on a branch under an overhang. The sooty tyrannulet may build nests near structures such as bridges. The nest is a 10 cm (3.9 in) deep by 4 cm (1.6 in) cup of densely packed roots and grasses and the cup is lined with feathers. The sooty tyrannulet lays on average three eggs. It is not known how long they incubate their eggs or how long before hatchlings start to fledge. Shiny cowbirds have been observed parasitizing their nests. [8]

Conservation and status

The sooty tyrannulet is considered a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although its exact population is unknown, it is considered to be overall stable. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrant flycatcher</span> Family of birds found in the Americas

The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and Canada. The members vary greatly in shape, patterns, size and colors. Some tyrant flycatchers may superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, which they are named after but are not closely related to. They are members of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), which do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern beardless tyrannulet</span> Species of bird

The southern beardless tyrannulet is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from Costa Rica through South America south to Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black phoebe</span> Species of bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family

The black phoebe is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus, though its northern populations are partially migratory. Six subspecies are commonly recognized, although two are occasionally combined as a separate species, the white-winged phoebe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The social flycatcher is a passerine bird from the Americas, a member of the large tyrant flycatcher family (Tyrannidae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torrent tyrannulet</span> Species of bird

The torrent tyrannulet is a small bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from Costa Rica south to northern Bolivia and northwestern Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guatemalan tyrannulet</span> Species of bird

The Guatemalan tyrannulet or paltry tyrannulet is a very small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It occurs in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and southern Belize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistletoe tyrannulet</span> Species of bird

The mistletoe tyrannulet is a very small bird, a passerine in family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fork-tailed flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The fork-tailed flycatcher is a passerine bird of the tyrant flycatcher family and is a member of a genus typically referred to as kingbirds. Named for their distinguishably long, forked tail, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in lightly forested or grassland areas, from southern Mexico to south past Argentina. They are most frequently observed sitting on conspicuous perches waiting for flying arthropods to fly past, they then sally out, eat their prey, and return to their perches. Northern populations near southern Mexico tend to be permanent residents, while fork-tailed flycatchers that live further south are migrants with a reputation for wandering to as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree martin</span> Species of bird

The tree martin is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds. It breeds in Australia, mostly south of latitude 20°S and on Timor island. It is migratory, wintering through most of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line and the Solomon Islands. It is a vagrant to New Zealand, where it has bred, and New Caledonia. This species is frequently placed in the genus Hirundo as Hirundo nigricans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufted tit-tyrant</span> Species of bird

The tufted tit-tyrant is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. This species is found in western South America; its range stretches from southern Colombia south along the Andes mountains to Tierra del Fuego. It prefers to live in upper montane forests and shrublands; however, it is a habitat generalist and can be found across a wide range of ecosystems. The tufted tit-tyrant has three subspecies, including the nominate subspecies Anairetes parulus parulus, A. p. aequatorialis, and A. p. patagonicus, and is very closely related to the Juan Fernández tit-tyrant. It is very small with a distinctive and conspicuous crest. The bird's head is black overall with white supraloral and postocular stripes. Its dull grayish-brown back contrasts with its white throat and breast that are covered with black streaks and pale, unmarked yellow underbelly. There are few noticeable differences in plumage between the subspecies. It is a vocal flycatcher with a broad repertoire of songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The cliff flycatcher is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family, Tyrannidae. The cliff flycatcher is the only species in the genus Hirundinea after the swallow flycatcher was merged, becoming subspecies Hirundinea ferruginea bellicosa. It is native to South America, where its natural habitats are cliffs and crags in the vicinity of subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-crested tyrannulet</span> Species of bird

The white-crested tyrannulet is a small species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in woodland and open habitats with scattered bushes and trees in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is closely related to the white-bellied tyrannulet, but unlike that species the belly of the white-crested tyrannulet is yellow. The recently described Straneck's tyrannulet is extremely similar to the white-crested tyrannulet and was for a long time confused with that species; the two are generally best separated by voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-naped xenopsaris</span> Species of bird in South America

The white-naped xenopsaris, also known as the reed becard and white-naped becard, is a species of suboscine bird in the family Tityridae, the only member of the genus Xenopsaris. It is found in South America, in humid subtropical and tropical savanna climates in most of the countries east of the Andes: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Living in open woodland and other open forest habitats, it is mostly sedentary, though some populations may be migratory. The species, which is closely related to becards and tityras, was thought to be either a tyrant-flycatcher or cotinga, before it was placed in Tityridae.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Serpophaga nigricans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22699334A93727073. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22699334A93727073.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Sooty tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans)". Wildscreen Arkive. Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Paul; Pacheco, J. Fernando; Bencke, Glayson Ariel; Aleixo, Alexandre (11 June 2018). "Senior synonyms for three Neotropical birds described by Louis Vieillot based on Félix de Azara (Passeriformes: Thraupidae, Tyrannidae, Tityridae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 4433 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4433.1.8.
  4. Vieillot, Jean Louis (1817). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc. Paris. p. 204. OCLC   5723864 . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Smith, W. John (October 1971). "Behavioral Characteristics of Serpophaginine Tyrannids". The Condor. 73 (3): 259–286. doi:10.2307/1365754.
  6. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 14.1)". Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. Rheindt, Frank E.; Norman, Janette A.; Christidis, Les (January 2008). "Phylogenetic relationships of tyrant-flycatchers (Aves: Tyrannidae), with an emphasis on the elaeniine assemblage". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 46 (1): 88–101. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.09.011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fitzpatrick, John W. (4 March 2020). "Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans)". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.sootyr1.01.
  9. Barbosa, Marcelo Oliveria; Braz, Vivian (2010). "Records of Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) in Tocantins State, Brazil". Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia-Brazilian Journal of Ornithology. 18 (42): 3. Retrieved 22 March 2024.