---
title: "Sooty Tyrannulet"
description: "Serpophaga nigricans — Birds. The sooty tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/sooty-tyrannulet
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Sooty Tyrannulet

> Serpophaga nigricans — Birds. The sooty tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.

- Scientific name: *Serpophaga nigricans*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 1799
- Wikidata: [Q606817](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q606817)
- iNaturalist taxon: [17210](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/17210)

## Names

- en: Sooty Tyrannulet
- de: Maustachuri
- es: Piojito gris
- fr: Tyranneau noirâtre
- nl: Roettachuri
- pt: João-pobre
- pl: Tyranek ciemny

## Countries with the most observations

AR (1243), BR (316), UY (175), PY (4)

## Summary

The sooty tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is small, usually weighing 9 grams with a length of 12 centimeters, and has gray or brownish-grey feathers with black tail feathers.
It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay; also southern Paraguay. A small extension of its range is in southeastern Bolivia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, and swamps.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooty_tyrannulet

## Photo

![Sooty Tyrannulet](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/sooty-tyrannulet/medium.jpg)

Photo: Julia Ariadna · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/255686558

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/sooty-tyrannulet?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).