Pale-tipped Tyrannulet

About the Pale-tipped Tyrannulet

The pale-tipped inezia, or pale-tipped tyrannulet, (Inezia caudata) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The pale-tipped inezia was originally described as Capsiempis caudata.

The pale-tipped inezia has two subspecies, the nominate I. c. caudata (Salvin, 1897) and I. c. intermedia (Cory, 1913). They and what are now the two subspecies of the Amazonian inezia (I. subflava) were combined as a species in the twentieth century. They were separated based on differences in their plumage and vocalizations that were detailed in a study published in 2000. Confusingly, the English name pale-tipped inezia (or tyrannulet) was originally applied to the four-subspecies I. subflava but at the split it was assigned to I. caudata.

The pale-tipped inezia is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighs 7.5 to 10 g (0.26 to 0.35 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have an olive-brown to grayish brown crown with a grayer forecrown and lower edge. Their face is mostly grayish with a white supercilium and broken white... Wikipedia →