Dark-faced Ground Tyrant - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies maclovianus
Photo by Joseph Morlan
Location: Carcass Island, Falkland Islands

Muscisaxicola maclovianus

Identification

Subspecies mentalis
Photo by Rodrigo Reyes
Location: Mantagua, V Chile

Length 16cm
Typical appearance and behavior of the other Ground-Tyrants, with long dark legs. Overall buffy brownish-grey, with darker head, wings, and even darker tail fringed with white. Short straight bill.

Distribution

West slope of Andes in Chile, southern Argentina (most common in Patagonia); Falkland Islands.

Taxonomy

Subspecies mentalis
Photo by Vernon Lundy
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, October 2006

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• M. m. mentalis: smaller and browner than the nominate

• Southern Argentina and Chile; winters on coast to northern Peru and Uruguay

• M. m. maclovianus:

• Falkland Islands

The scientific name has changed from macloviana to maclovianus.

Habitat

Open ground near water.

Behaviour

Diet

Small insects such as flies and moths.

Breeding

The nest, composed of grass and root fibres with a lining of wool or feathers, is placed among rocks. Two or three eggs are white with red-brown spots. Two broods are probably raised during the breeding season.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. {Jaramillo, A. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117409

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Dark-faced Ground Tyrant. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dark-faced_Ground_Tyrant

External Links

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