Photo: Lip Kee Yap / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Sooty Tyrannulet
Serpophaga nigricans
Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 8.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Tyrannidae Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura
- Genus Serpophaga
- Species nigricans
Where it lives
Southern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay and south-central Brazil to central Argentina and Uruguay
Quick facts
- Weight
- 8.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Sooty Tyrannulet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Sooty Tyrannulet is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA s Bolivia, e Paraguay and sc Brazil to c Argentina and Uruguay.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 8.5 g, with a wing length of about 5.8 cm and a tail of around 5.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 3.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Sooty Tyrannulet?
The Sooty Tyrannulet is a very small bird that weighs around 8.5 g.
Where does the Sooty Tyrannulet live?
The Sooty Tyrannulet is found across South America with a range covering SA s Bolivia, e Paraguay and sc Brazil to c Argentina and Uruguay, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Sooty Tyrannulet belong to?
The Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Sooty Tyrannulet eat?
The Sooty Tyrannulet is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Sooty Tyrannulet migrate?
The Sooty Tyrannulet is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Sooty Tyrannulet endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Sooty Tyrannulet make?
1 real field recording of the Sooty Tyrannulet — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Sooty Tyrannulet's range?
The Sooty Tyrannulet has a mapped global range of about 3.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Tyrannidae
A field guide to the Tyrannidae family — 444 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.