Muscisaxicola alpinus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The paramo ground tyrant (Muscisaxicola alpinus), more widely known as the plain-capped ground-tyrant, is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and possibly Peru.
The paramo ground tyrant was originally described in 1849 as Taenioptera alpina. It was eventually moved to genus Muscisaxicola that had been erected in 1837. Until the 2020 publication of a molecular phylogenetic study it had been widely treated as conspecific with the cinereous ground tyrant (M. cinereus) and Taczanowski's ground tyrant (M. griseus). Of the major taxonomic systems, only the IOC calls it the "paramo ground tyrant"; Wikipedia generally follows IOC nomenclature. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC), the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World call it the "plain-capped ground-tyrant".
The paramo ground tyrant is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 152 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 213th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are White-throated Tyrannulet (about 30%), Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant (about 30%) and Cinnamon Flycatcher (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (152 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
