Eared Pygmy-Tyrant

About the Eared Pygmy-Tyrant

The eared pygmy tyrant (Myiornis auricularis) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The eared pygmy tyrant has two subspecies, the nominate M. a. auricularis (Vieillot, 1818) and M. a. cinereicollis (Wied-Neuwied, M, 1831). The Clements taxonomy includes a potential third subspecies, "Eared Pygmy-Tyrant (Pernambuco)", as "Myiornis auricularis [undescribed form]". One author has treated the white-bellied pygmy tyrant (M. albiventris) as a subspecies of the eared pygmy tyrant but major taxonomic systems retain it as a full species.

The eared pygmy tyrant's taxonomy has undergone other changes as well. It was originally described in 1818 as Platyrhynchos auricularis, part of a complex of "flatbills". Subspecies M. a. cinereicollis was originally described as a full species, Euscarthmus cinereicollis. Genus Platyrhynchos eventually was limited to some Old World species and then lost altogether, and Euscarthmus was eventually limited to a few New World species. The eared pygmy tyrant landed in Myiornis, which several authors have suggested should be merged into genus Hemitriccus... Wikipedia →