Photo: in Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Short-tailed Field Tyrant
Muscigralla brevicauda
Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 12.6 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 Muscigralla
- Species brevicauda
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12.6 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open scrub and shrubland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda) belongs to the Tyrannidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA Ecuador to n Chile.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12.6 g, with a wing length of about 6.1 cm and a tail of around 3.5 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 167,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Short-tailed Field Tyrant?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is a very small bird that weighs around 12.6 g.
Where does the Short-tailed Field Tyrant live?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is found across South America with a range covering SA Ecuador to n Chile, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Short-tailed Field Tyrant belong to?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant (Muscigralla brevicauda) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Short-tailed Field Tyrant eat?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Short-tailed Field Tyrant migrate?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Short-tailed Field 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 Short-tailed Field Tyrant make?
1 real field recording of the Short-tailed Field Tyrant — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Short-tailed Field Tyrant's range?
The Short-tailed Field Tyrant has a mapped global range of about 167,000 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
Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds
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.