Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola maculirostris Scientific name definitions

The Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant is the smallest ground-tyrant in the Andes and it differs from its congeners in many aspects. In appearance, its wingbars are relatively well marked, it lacks a crown patch, and it has yellow on the base of the bill, differentiating it from the rest of the ground-tyrants. Also unusual is that males make a nuptial flight more similar to pipits (Motacillidae) than to other ground-tyrants, with a noticeable and relatively complex flight song. Most ground-tyrants give simple one-note chips when doing aerial displays, while the Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant gives a series of accelerating chips that rise to a crescendo. The Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant has an amazingly large latitudinal distribution from Colombia to southernmost Patagonia. The southernmost subspecies is migratory in part of its range, although the migration patterns are not fully understood. It is not always restricted to the Andes and can be found at or near sea level, particularly in the non-breeding season in Chile and Peru. Its preferred habitat is open country, usually slopes with open grassland with a few shrubs and rocky areas. For many years, it was suggested to be closely related to the similar Little Ground-Tyrant (Syrtidicola fluviatilis), although molecular data does not bear this out.