Photo: Originally hogsas from Flickr / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Spot-billed Ground Tyrant
Muscisaxicola maculirostris
Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maculirostris) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maculirostris) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 14.2 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 maculirostris
Quick facts
- Weight
- 14.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Spot-billed Ground 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 Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maculirostris) belongs to the Tyrannidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA Colombia to Chile and Argentina.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 14.2 g, with a wing length of about 8.6 cm and a tail of around 6.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is a very small bird that weighs around 14.2 g.
Where does the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant live?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is found across South America with a range covering SA Colombia to Chile and Argentina, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant belong to?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maculirostris) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant eat?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant migrate?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Spot-billed 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 Spot-billed Ground Tyrant make?
1 real field recording of the Spot-billed Ground 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 Spot-billed Ground Tyrant's range?
The Spot-billed Ground Tyrant has a mapped global range of about 2 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.