Serra do Mar bristle tyrant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Serra do Mar bristle tyrant |
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Pogonotriccus
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| Species: |
difficilis
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The Serra do Mar bristle tyrant (Pogonotriccus difficilis) is a small, interesting bird. It belongs to the Tyrannidae family, which are often called "tyrant flycatchers." This bird lives only in the humid mountain forests of the Serra do Mar region in south-eastern Brazil.
This little bird has bright olive-green feathers on its back and head. Its belly and chest are a contrasting grey. It can sometimes be confused with another bird called the hangnest tody-tyrant, but the bristle tyrant has a longer tail and darker eyes. The Serra do Mar bristle tyrant is not very common, and its home is shrinking because of habitat loss.
Discovering the Serra do Mar Bristle Tyrant
How Scientists Named This Bird
The Serra do Mar bristle tyrant was first officially described in 1907. Two German-Brazilian naturalists, Hermann von Ihering and his son Rodolpho von Ihering, were the ones who found and named it. They first put it in a new group (genus) they called Guracava. They gave it the scientific name Guracava difficilis.
The place where they first found this bird was Itatiaia, a town in the Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil. The word "difficilis" in its scientific name comes from Latin and means "difficult."
Changing Names: From Tyrannulet to Bristle Tyrant
For a long time, this bird was known as the Serra do Mar tyrannulet. It was placed in a group of birds called Phylloscartes. However, scientists are always learning new things about animals!
In 2020, a big study looked closely at the DNA of many birds, including this one. This study, led by Mike Harvey, found that the "Serra do Mar tyrannulet" actually fit better with a group of birds called bristle tyrants, which are in the genus Pogonotriccus.
Because of this new information, the bird's scientific group was changed to Pogonotriccus. At the same time, its English name was updated from Serra do Mar tyrannulet to Serra do Mar bristle tyrant. This helps make sure its name matches its closest relatives. This bird is considered a "monotypic" species, meaning there are no different types or subspecies of it recognized.
