Tyrants

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Tyrants
A scissors-tailed king tyrant (Tyrannus forficatus)

A scissors-tailed king tyrant ( Tyrannus forficatus )

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Screeching Birds (Tyranni)
Partial order : Screaming birds of the New World (Tyrannides)
without rank: Tyrannida
Family : Tyrants
Scientific name
Tyrannidae
Vigors , 1825

The tyrants (Tyrannidae), sometimes also called New World flycatchers , are a family of passerine birds . They differ in their appearance and range, but almost all have a predilection for insect food . They owe their name to their aggressiveness towards intruders into their own territory, even towards birds of prey.

Way of life

Tyrants live very territorial and defend their territories loudly and with daring flight attacks against all birds that enter there, even if they are larger birds of prey . Only during the wintering season, when many species gather in the Amazon basin , do they behave peacefully. It can happen that whole swarms of different types of tyrant mix.

features

The size of the tyrants ranges from 5 cm to 30 cm. Their weight is between 4.5  g and 80 g. The males are usually heavier and larger than the females. The smallest tyrant is the stump tail dwarf tyrant , about the size of a small hummingbird . Only a few species have brightly shining, colored plumage, most are inconspicuously colored. Some also have different hoods on their heads, which stand up when excited.

Reproduction

Most species mate once a year, during the breeding season , which lasts from spring to early summer . During this time, most birds behave very aggressively towards other birds. The nests are very different, some species build elaborate meshwork, other hanging bowls or even normal nests with cavities. The clutch consists of two to four eggs speckled brown, which are incubated for a few weeks. Many species mate for life. Most boys reach sexual maturity at one year of age.

food

Tyrants mainly feed on insects , but also eat berries , tropical fruits, and sometimes small fish . When hunting, they sit on a branch and wait for insects to fly by and try to catch them.

distribution

Tyrants are mostly found in the open country, but also in forests. Their distribution area extends from Canada to Tierra del Fuego . About ten percent of all South American birds belong to the tyrant family. Some species also live in the Galápagos Islands and the West Indies . The eastern area of distribution, the Noronha Olivtyrann ( Elaenia ridleyana ) of the Brazilian Fernando de Noronha is endemic -Archipel. The birds that live far in the north or far in the south migrate to more temperate zones towards winter.

The range of the tyrants

Genera and species

The tyrant family includes over 429 species. Many of them were named for their calling, as was the Phoebe tyrant .

A royal tyrant ( Tyrannus tyrannus )
Arkansas king tyrant ( Tyrannus verticalis )
Beech tyrant ( Empidonax virescens )
White-bellied phoebe ( Sayornis phoebe )
Striped-throated bush tyrant ( Myiotheretes striaticollis )
Ruby Tyrant ( Pyrocephalus rubinus )
Tyrant ( Tyrannus melancholicus )
Sulfur Tyrant ( Pitangus sulphuratus )

Genera and selected species:

Web links

Wiktionary: Tyrann  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Tyrannen (Tyrannidae)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files