Yellowish Flycatcher

Overview

The yellowish flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, found from Mexico to Panama. It has a disjunct distribution with three subspecies and is considered common in northern Central America and Costa Rica, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Length of 12.5 to 14 cm with a weight of 9 to 16 g; sexes are alike.
• Olive-green upperparts with a yellowish green face featuring a pale yellow almond-shaped eye-ring.
• Deep yellow breast with yellowish underparts and two wing bars formed by yellow tips on grayish brown wing coverts.
• Song consists of a series of three high-frequency notes sounding like "see chit see"; calls include a high upslurred whistle "see", a loud short note "tseeep", and a "tsick" or "tseet".

Habitat

Inhabits highlands in the subtropical and temperate zones, primarily in humid evergreen broadleaf forest, cloud forests, and pine-oak forests. It favours the forest understory near running water but also frequents forest edges, coffee and cacao plantations, and gardens. Altitudes vary by region, ranging from 100 m in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas to 2,500 m in Costa Rica.

Diet

Feeds primarily on arthropods with small amounts of fruit. Forages by hawking in mid-air, gleaning from vegetation, and picking from the ground, often following army ant swarms. Typically forages in pairs during the breeding season and singly otherwise.

Did you know?

The female builds the nest alone, creating an open cup from moss and liverwort, and accepts artificial eggs of the bronzed cowbird despite no natural brood parasitism being observed. Nests have been found on a wide variety of substrates, including cliffs, earthen banks, and human structures.