About Muscisaxicola flavinucha Lafresnaye, 1855
The ochre-naped ground tyrant (scientific name Muscisaxicola flavinucha Lafresnaye, 1855) is 18.5 to 20 cm (7.3 to 7.9 in) long. Males and females have identical plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a white forehead and supercilium, plus a pale ochre patch on the rear crown; the rest of their face is pale brownish gray. Their nape and back are also pale brownish gray. Their wings are a duskier shade of brownish gray, with thin white edges along the flight feathers. Their tail is black, with white edges on the outermost feathers. Their throat, breast, and upper belly are grayish white, which transitions to pure white on the lower belly and vent area. They have a dark brown iris, a long black bill, and black legs and feet. Juveniles either have only a faint crown patch or no crown patch at all, and have buff edges on their flight feathers. Subspecies M. f. brevirostris is darker across its entire body than the nominate subspecies, and has a slightly smaller bill and slightly shorter wings. The ochre-naped ground tyrant is primarily found in the southern Andes. The nominate subspecies breeds in northern and central Chile, from the Antofagasta Region south to the O'Higgins Region, and in west-central Argentina, from Mendoza Province south to Santa Cruz Province. Subspecies M. f. brevirostris breeds across an area that starts at the southern edge of the nominate subspecies' range and extends south through both Chile and Argentina all the way to Tierra del Fuego. Both subspecies leave their breeding ranges to winter further north, starting from northern Chile and northwestern Argentina, continuing north through western Bolivia, and reaching as far as the La Libertad Department in Peru. The ochre-naped ground tyrant inhabits puna grassland, bogs, and rocky slopes that have sparse vegetation and are located near water. For most of its range, it occurs at elevations between 2,000 and 4,500 m (6,600 and 14,800 ft). However, it breeds as low as 500 m (1,600 ft) in northern Chile, and sometimes occurs near sea level there. In Peru, it ranges between 3,800 and 4,900 m (12,500 and 16,100 ft) in elevation.
