NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Stub-tailed Spadebill
Platyrinchus cancrominus P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The stub-tailed spadebill (Platyrinchus cancrominus) is a passerine bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is commonly found in tropical dry rainforests or tropical moist lowlands throughout Central America. First scientifically described in 1860, it was originally thought to be the same as Platyrinchus mystaceus but was later reclassified as a sympatric species. The stub-tailed spadebill may grow up to 9.5 cm (3.74 in) long and may weigh up to 12 g (0.42 oz). It has a white throat, yellow breast, and brown mantle and wings. The stub-tailed spadebill is most easily recognizable due to its stubby tail, broad bill, and its distinctive bird song. Some morphological differences like its greatly reduced crown differentiate it from other related species. The stub-tailed spadebill is found in elevation ranges up to 500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level. As an omnivore it feeds on both arthropods such as spiders, beetles, and ants as well as low hanging berries and fruits in the lower strata of the rainforests.
Wikipedia contributors, Stub-tailed spadebill; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:50:43.355913+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Platyrinchus cancrominus P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860
- Name authority
- P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860
- Common name
- Stub-tailed Spadebill
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Platyrinchus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTyrannidae
- genusPlatyrinchus Desmarest, 1805
- speciesPlatyrinchus cancrominus P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Platyrinchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon-crested SpadebillPlatyrinchus saturatus Salvin & Godman, 1882 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-crowned SpadebillPlatyrinchus coronatus P. L. Sclater, 1858 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-throated SpadebillPlatyrinchus flavigularis P. L. Sclater, 1862 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Russet-winged SpadebillPlatyrinchus leucoryphus Wied-M. Neuwied, 1831 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated SpadebillPlatyrinchus mystaceus Vieillot, 1818 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-crested SpadebillPlatyrinchus platyrhynchos (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Platyrinchus cancrominus timothei Paynter, 1954 Paynter, 1954 | synonym |
| Platyrinchus cancrominus cancrominus P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860 P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860 | synonym |
| Platyrinchus cancrominus dilutus (W. Miller & Griscom, 1925) (W. Miller & Griscom, 1925) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Sclater, Philip Lutley, & and Osbert Salvin. (1860). List of Birds Collected by Mr. Louis Fraser at Esmeraldas, Ecuador; with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. 28. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4JXYH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.