Black-crested Tit-Tyrant

Overview

The black-crested tit-tyrant, also known as the Marañón tit-tyrant, is a species of tyrant flycatcher found in Ecuador and Peru. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is a year-round resident within its restricted range.

Identification

• 13 cm long with a dramatic black crest in adult males, while the crown and nape are white and the rest of the head is black.
• Upperparts are black with thin white streaks; wings feature wide white edges on flight feathers and two white bars on the coverts.
• Bright orange bill with a blackish tip and black legs; throat, breast, and flanks are streaked with black and white above plain yellowish-white underparts.
• Calls include a 'squeaky sputtered trreek', a descending chattered 'tee! titititititer', and a rising-falling 'trrreeeer'.

Habitat

Found in the southern Loja Province of Ecuador and the western Andean slopes of Peru, extending to the Ancash Department and the upper Marañón River valley. It inhabits Polylepis woodlands and adjacent montane scrub near treeline and in ravines, typically between elevations of 2,100 and 4,000 m.

Diet

This bird feeds on insects, usually foraging in pairs or small groups and occasionally joining mixed-species flocks. It is an active feeder that gleans prey from leaves and twigs while perched, makes short upward flights to hover-glean, and rarely takes prey in mid-air with brief sallies.

Did you know?

Although classified within the family Tyrannidae, the genus Anairetes is commonly called tit-tyrants because their active foraging behaviour and crests strongly resemble those of true tits in the family Paridae.