Tyranni

The Tyranni (suboscines) are a suborder of passerine birds that includes more than 1,000 species, the large majority of which are South American. It is named after the type genus Tyrannus. These have a different anatomy of the syrinx musculature than the oscines (songbirds of the larger suborder Passeri), hence the common name of suboscines.

The suboscines originated in South America about 50 million years ago and dispersed into the Old World likely via a trans-Atlantic route during the Oligocene. Their presence in the early Oligocene of Europe is well documented by several fossil specimens.