Knipolegus is a genus of South American birds, the black tyrants, in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae.
The genus was erected by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826 with the blue-billed black tyrant as the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek knips meaning "insect" and legō meaning "to pick".
Species
The genus contains the following 12 species:
Image
Common name
Scientific name
Distribution
Blue-billed black tyrant
Knipolegus cyanirostris
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Jelski's black tyrant
Knipolegus signatus
Peru
Plumbeous tyrant
Knipolegus cabanisi
southeastern Peru, western Bolivia and northern Argentina.
Cinereous tyrant
Knipolegus striaticeps
Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina
White-winged black tyrant
Knipolegus aterrimus
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
Hudson's black tyrant
Knipolegus hudsoni
central Argentina and winters northwards, reaching Bolivia and Paraguay.
Rufous-tailed tyrant
Knipolegus poecilurus
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.
Riverside tyrant
Knipolegus orenocensis
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Amazonian black tyrant
Knipolegus poecilocercus
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.
Crested black tyrant
Knipolegus lophotes
Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Paraguay
Velvety black tyrant
Knipolegus nigerrimus
Brazil
Sao Francisco black tyrant or Caatinga black tyrant
Knipolegus franciscanus
Brazil.