The short-tailed pygmy tyrant (''Myiornis ecaudatus'') is a small species of tyrant-flycatcher. The species is one of the smallest birds on Earth and the smallest

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

. Among both the family and the order, only the closely related black-capped pygmy tyrant approaches similarly diminutive sizes. The pygmy tyrant is widespread throughout most of the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

in northern and central

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Habitat

A resident of tall humid forests, the bird is occasionally found in more open woodland, specifically around treefalls and tall trees in clearings. It ranges from sea-level to . It is fairly common throughout most of its range, but is easily overlooked, in part due to its insect- or frog-like voice.

Description

The short-tailed pygmy tyrant is truly a pygmy of a bird, with only a handful of the smallest hummingbirds measuring smaller. The average length is and the weight averages at . While the bill (though slender) is disproportionately large for the size of the bird, the tail is practically non-existent. The head is gray with blackish lores and stand-out white "spectacles". The back is bright olive-green, and the bar-less wings and tail are both black. The underside is yellow-tinged white, with light olive smudges on the chest and flanks, and the inner flight feathers are edged with yellow. The sexes are similar. Although its plumage is similar to some other tyrant flycatchers, especially the slaty-headed tody-flycatcher, in the field, the bird is more often mistaken for a large beetle or insect, especially while in flight.

Calls

Its song is a high pitched series of up to 15 ''c'r'eek'' notes, at first hesitant, then accelerating and descending slightly. There is also a ''cr'e'e'e', k'e'e'e'e'' song that is repeated over and over. Chirp-like squeaks similar to that of a well-rosined bird squeaker and a soft, purring series of trilled notes, lower in pitch than other calls, are heard. In general, the vocalizations of the short-tailed pygmy tyrant are all unlikely to be recognized as bird vocalizations, but are rather more like the sounds made by crickets or small frogs.

Behaviour

The

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

, a moss and fiber ball with a side entrance, is large for the size of the bird. It may be found from up in the tree, and never near the canopy. 2 eggs, white overlaid with brownish or cinnamon spots, are laid. Myiornis ecaudatus 1847

The short-tailed pygmy tyrant prefers to take prey by hover-

gleaning Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. It is a practice described in the Hebrew Bible that became a legall ...

from beneath leaves at mid-level in the forest. Its flight movements have a mechanical-feel that enhances the insect comparison. The abrupt movements of this dwarf make it hard to follow even if it is seen. This bird also occasionally flycatches after remaining very quiet.

References

*Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, Second Edition,

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1269145 short-tailed pygmy tyrant Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of Trinidad and Tobago Birds of the Guianas Birds of the Amazon Basin short-tailed pygmy tyrant Birds of Brazil