Knipolegus cyanirostris
The Blue-billed Black Tyrant, *Knipolegus cyanirostris*, is a strikingly marked member of the Tyrannidae family, instantly recognizable by its unique coloration. Adult males boast a glossy, iridescent black plumage contrasted by a brilliant, powder-blue bill and equally vibrant blue-gray legs, measuring approximately 15-16 cm (6 inches) in length with a weight typically around 18-25 grams. Females present a more subdued appearance, with dull olive-brown upperparts, paler, streaked underparts,...
Inhabits humid montane forests, woodland edges, and thorny scrub, typically found at elevations ranging from 500 to 3000 meters, often near rocky outcrops or ravines.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of flying insects such as flies, beetles, and moths, which it captures by sallying from an exposed perch.
The Blue-billed Black Tyrant is primarily a diurnal, solitary insectivore, often seen perching conspicuously on exposed branches or rocks, from which it surveys its surroundings. Its foraging strategy is classic flycatching, involving short, rapid sallies to snatch insects from the air or from fo...
The Blue-billed Black Tyrant is endemic to South America, with its primary distribution extending along the eastern slopes of the Andes. It is found from central Peru, south through Bolivia, into northwestern Argentina, primarily in the Yungas and subtropical montane forest regions. These birds t...
Least Concern
- The Blue-billed Black Tyrant's brilliant powder-blue bill is unique among Neotropical flycatchers and is its most distinctive field mark. - Despite its common name, the 'Black Tyrant' genus (*Knipolegus*) includes species with varying plumages, but *cyanirostris* fully lives up to the 'black' m...