Tyrant Flycatchers: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are found from the southernmost tip of South America to north of the Arctic Circle in North America. Species that summer in the Arctic usually migrate to Central or South America in the winter. The only area in the Western Hemisphere where tyrant flycatchers are not found is in the extreme northern edge of Canada.

Tyrant flycatchers live wherever insects live. They have adapted to tropical rainforests and deserts of the southwestern United States. They can be found in all types of forests, along steams, in grasslands, deserts and around human-made structures. They are most likely to be found in areas where trees, posts, or other spots to perch are combined with open areas.

Tyrant flycatchers are neither dangerous nor particularly useful to humans, although they do eat large numbers of insects and may help to control the insect population.