Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa)

About the Cattle Tyrant
The cattle tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. In Brazil, it is called suiriri-cavaleiro. It is the only member of the genus Machetornis. The relationships of this species and genus to other genera in the tyrant flycatchers are uncertain. It resembles Tyrannus flycatchers, but this may be the result of convergence. The genus name was given to the species by George Robert Gray and is derived from the Ancient Greek makhētēs for fighter and ornis for bird, a reference to its pugnacious behaviour and habit of dispossessing other species of their nests. The specific name comes from the Latin rixosus meaning quarrelsome, again referring to the behaviour and temperament of the species. The species has a disjunct distribution, with three subspecies accepted:
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We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 134 recordings for this species: 20 CC BY-NC-SA · 4 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- American Barn OwlTyto furcatarecording
- American KestrelFalco sparveriusrecording
- Ash-throated CrakeMustelirallus albicollisrecording
- BananaquitCoereba flaveolarecording
- Band-winged NightjarSystellura longirostrisrecording
- Barn SwallowHirundo rusticarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.