Jelski's black tyrant, or Andean tyrant, (Knipolegus signatus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 30 March 2025. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved 30 March 2025

Taxonomy and systematics

Jelski's black tyrant has a complicated taxonomic history. It was formally described in 1875 as Ochthodiaeta signatus. The journal is "For the year 1874" and was published in 1875. Genus Ochthodiaeta was later merged into Myiotheretes. By the 1980s most authors had moved the species into Knipolegus. What is now the plumbeous tyrant (K. cabanisi) had been described as a species. By the 1980s the two were generally treated as conspecific though authors were beginning to suggest again treating them separately. The single species was called the Andean tyrant and plumbeous tyrant by different authors. Following a 2012 publication, in 2013 the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society split the two, calling signatus Jelski's black-tyrant and cabanisi the plumbeous tyrant.Hosner, P. A. and R. G. Moyle. 2012. A molecular phylogeny of black-tyrants (Tyrannidae: Knipolegus) reveals strong geographic patterns and homoplasy in plumage and display behavior. Auk 129: 156–167.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 30 March 2025. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved 30 March 2025 The proposal was accepted in December 2017. The IOC, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW), and the Clements taxonomy followed suit beginning in 2014.BirdLife International (2016) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 9. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/BirdLife_Checklist_Version_90.zipClements, J. F., et al. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016. However, as of early 2025 some confusion remains. The IOC, Clements, and the SACC all call signatus Jelski's black tyrant or black-tyrant. HBW calls it the Andean black-tyrant. The IOC calls cabanisi the plumbeous tyrant. Clements, the SACC, and HBW call it the plumbeous black-tyrant.Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 23, 2024HBW and BirdLife International (2024). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 9. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/about-our-science/taxonomy retrieved December 23, 2024

The four taxonomic systems agree that Jelski's black tyrant is monotypic.

Description

Jelski's black tyrant is long. Adult males are entirely sooty black. Adult females have mostly dark olive-brown upperparts with more rufous uppertail coverts. Their wings are dark olive-brown with whitish to buff edges on the coverts that show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky with thin cinnamon-rufous edges to the feathers. Their underparts are mostly heavily streaked with dark grayish olive and their undertail coverts are dark buffy. Both sexes have a dark red or chestnut iris, a blackish bill, and black legs and feet. Juveniles are similar to adult females but with a rusty wash on the upperparts, white wing bars, and paler yellow-tinged bars separating the dark one on the underparts.Farnsworth, A., G. Langham, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Jelski's Black-Tyrant (Knipolegus signatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.andtyr3.01 retrieved May 3, 2025

Distribution and habitat

Jelski's black tyrant has a disjunct distribution. It is found in the Cordillera del Cóndor straddling the border between southern Ecuador and northern Peru and separately in Peru from southern Amazonas Department south to Junín Department. It primarily inhabits the interior of humid montane forest and woodlands and less frequently the edges. It also occurs in thickets of alder (Alnus) and Podocarpus regrowing in disturbed areas. In elevation it ranges between but mostly occurs below .

Behavior Movement

Jelski's black tyrant is a year-round resident.

Feeding

The diet and foraging behavior of Jelski's black tyrant are little known. It is believed to feed mostly on insects.

Breeding

Nothing is known about the breeding biology of Jelski's black tyrant.

Vocalization

As of May 2025 neither xeno-canto nor the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had any recordings of Jelski's black tyrant vocalizations.

Status

The IUCN has assessed Jelski's black tyrant as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is barely known in the Cordillera del Cóndor, having been first recorded there in 2001. It is considered rare elsewhere in Peru.

References