Some 100, see text The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) comprise a family of passerine birds which is found virtually throughout North and South America.

The Tyrannidae is a member of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), a group that lacks the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.

[3] Most species are rather plain, with various hues of brown, gray and white commonplace, often providing some degree of presumed camouflage.

Several of the large genera (i.e. Elaenia, Myiarchus or Empidonax) are quite difficult to tell apart in the field due to similar plumage and some are best distinguished by their voices.

Behaviorally they can vary from species such as spadebills which are tiny, shy and live in dense forest interiors to kingbirds, which are relatively large, bold, inquisitive and often inhabit open areas near human habitations.

As the name implies, a great majority of tyrant flycatchers are almost entirely insectivorous (though not necessarily specialized in flies).

[4] The minuscule size and very short tail of the Myiornis pygmy tyrants often lend them a resemblance to a tiny ball or insect.

In 2007, BirdLife International (and consequently IUCN) considered two species, the Minas Gerais tyrannulet and Kaempfer's tody-tyrant critically endangered.

[7] The family's name is derived from an early description of the eastern kingbird as "the tyrant" by naturalist Mark Catesby in the 1730s.