Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Velvety Black Tyrant
Knipolegus nigerrimus
Velvety Black Tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Velvety Black Tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) is a member of the Tyrannidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 20.3 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 Knipolegus
- Species nigerrimus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 20.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Velvety Black Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Velvety Black Tyrant is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Velvety Black Tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) is a member of the Tyrannidae family, within the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA e, se Brazil.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 20.3 g, with a wing length of about 9.5 cm and a tail of around 7.4 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 789,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Velvety Black Tyrant?
The Velvety Black Tyrant is a small bird that weighs around 20.3 g.
Where does the Velvety Black Tyrant live?
The Velvety Black Tyrant is found across South America with a range covering SA e, se Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Velvety Black Tyrant belong to?
The Velvety Black Tyrant (Knipolegus nigerrimus) belongs to the Tyrannidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Velvety Black Tyrant eat?
The Velvety Black Tyrant is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Velvety Black Tyrant migrate?
The Velvety Black Tyrant is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Velvety Black 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 Velvety Black Tyrant make?
1 real field recording of the Velvety Black 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 Velvety Black Tyrant's range?
The Velvety Black Tyrant has a mapped global range of about 789,000 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.