Photo: Yann / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Dark-faced Ground Tyrant
Muscisaxicola maclovianus
Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 23.8 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 Muscisaxicola
- Species maclovianus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 23.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) is a member of the Tyrannidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA w, Southern Cone.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 23.8 g, with a wing length of about 10.4 cm and a tail of around 6.6 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 489,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is a small bird that weighs around 23.8 g.
Where does the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant live?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is found across South America with a range covering SA w, Southern Cone, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant belong to?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant eat?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant migrate?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant 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 Dark-faced Ground Tyrant make?
1 real field recording of the Dark-faced Ground Tyrant — 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 Dark-faced Ground Tyrant's range?
The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant has a mapped global range of about 489,000 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.