Like other ground tyrants, it has long legs and an upright posture.

Ground tyrants feed on insects and other invertebrates, mainly by picking them from the ground.

Ground tyrants are fairly small (13-20 cm in length) with longish legs, a slender bill and an erect posture.

Muscisaxicola - ground tyrants (13 species)

The name "Plain-capped Ground Tyrant" is sometimes used for M. alpinus.

The Cinereous Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola cinereus) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.

The ground tyrants (Muscisaxicola) are a genus of passerine birds belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae.

All the remaining species are related and form a monophyletic group, although the Spot-billed Ground Tyrant (M. maculirostris) is somewhat divergent from the others.

The Little Ground Tyrant is found in the southwest Amazon Basin at higher elevations in the Basins river headwaters.

The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) is a small passerine bird belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family.

Plain-capped Ground Tyrant (M. griseus) was formerly considered to be a subspecies of M. alpinus but is now commonly treated as a separate species.

The Ochre-naped Ground Tyrant breeds in the Andes from the southern Peru border to the western border of Tierra del Fuego.

Little Ground Tyrant photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res--(Close-up)

The Cinnamon-bellied Ground Tyrant breeds in extreme southern Argentina and Chile, and northern Tierra del Fuego, and migrates north in the austral winter.

A study of mitochondrial DNA by Chesser (2000) has shown that the Little Ground Tyrant (M. fluviatilis) is highly divergent and not closely related to the other ground tyrants.

The Little and Spot-billed Ground Tyrants are smaller and browner than the other species and the Little Ground Tyrant also differs in its habitat, occurring near rivers in Amazonia.

Muscisaxicola - ground tyrants (13 species)

The Rufous-naped Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola rufivertex) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.

The Dark-faced Ground Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus) is a small passerine bird belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family.