Culicivora caudacuta
The Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant (Culicivora caudacuta) is a diminutive and distinctive member of the tyrant flycatcher family (Tyrannidae), renowned for its specialized grassland habitat and unique morphology. Measuring a mere 10-11 cm in length and weighing 6-8 grams, it boasts a remarkably long, pointed tail, giving it its common name and serving as a key identification mark. Its plumage is cryptically colored, with olive-brown streaked upperparts, pale underparts often with a yellowish wash ...
Primarily inhabits open grasslands, savannas, and cerrado ecosystems with scattered shrubs and dense tussocks, from sea level up to approximately 1100m.
Feeds almost exclusively on small insects, including flies, beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, captured primarily by aerial sallying and gleaning from vegetation.
This diurnal species is most active during the cooler morning and late afternoon hours, often perching low on grass stalks or small shrubs, retreating to dense cover for roosting. Foraging involves swift, short sallies to capture flying insects, frequently returning to the same perch, or gleaning...
The Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant exhibits a somewhat disjunct distribution across central and eastern South America, primarily within suitable grassland and cerrado habitats. Its breeding range spans from central and northeastern Brazil (Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará south to São Paulo and Paraná) through ...
Least Concern
- The Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant is named for its extraordinarily long and pointed central tail feathers, a diagnostic feature among its small flycatcher relatives. - Its scientific genus name, Culicivora, literally translates to 'mosquito eater,' reflecting its primary diet of small flying insect...