Many-colored rush-tyrant
| Many-coloured rush tyrant | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | see text |
| Genus: |
Tachuris Lafresnaye, 1836 |
| Species: | T. rubrigastra |
| Binomial name | |
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Tachuris rubrigastra (Vieillot, 1817) |
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The many-coloured rush tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra) or many-colored rush tyrant is a small passerine bird of South America belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family. It is the only member of the genus Tachuris and its relationships with the other members of the family are uncertain, and it may constitute a separate monotypic family. It inhabits marshland and reedbeds around lakes and rivers. It is particularly associated with stands of Scirpus. The nest is built among plant stems.
A 2013 DNA study of South American suboscines suggested that this species does not belong in the tyrant-flycatcher family but is a monotypic family, separated from other suboscines for at least 25 million years. They proposed the family name Tachurididae, although it has also been suggested that the name should be Tachurisidae. This elevation to family hasn't been adopted by any authorities yet, however, pending further research.
There are four subspecies: T. r. rubrigastra is the most widespread, occurring from south-east Brazil to southern Argentina and central Chile. T. r. alticola is found in the Andes of south-east Peru, west Bolivia and north-west Argentina. T. r. libertatis is found in coastal Peru while T. r. loaensis is restricted to Antofagasta Region in northern Chile.
It is a small bird, 10.5 cm in length. The tail is short, the wings are short and rounded and the bill is slender. As the bird's name suggests, the plumage is very colourful. The back and rump are green while the underparts are yellow apart from the white throat, black breastband and red undertail-coverts. The face is dark blue-grey, there is a yellow stripe over the eye and the crown is dark with a red patch that is often concealed. The wings and tail are dark with a white wingbar and white outer tail-feathers. Juveniles are considerably duller than the adults.
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