Slender-billed Inezia

Overview

The slender-billed inezia (Inezia tenuirostris), also known as the slender-billed tyrannulet, is a small bird belonging to the tyrant flycatcher family. It is currently assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Adults measure 9 to 9.5 cm in length and weigh 5 to 6 g, featuring a needle-like black bill and gray legs.
• Plumage includes a grayish olive crown and back, with a whitish face marked by a thin white supercilium and eye-ring.
• Wings are dusky with two wing bars formed by dull white edges on the inner flight feathers and wing coverts.
• The song is described as a flat, insipid trill that is thin and slightly descending at the end, accompanied by a whistled 'teer-'.

Habitat

Found in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, the species inhabits a variety of arid landscapes such as thorn scrub, dry woodlands, cactus desert, and pastures with thorny shrubs. It favours areas dominated by Acacia and may occur at the edges of mangroves on the immediate coast, ranging in elevation from sea level to 800 m.

Diet

The slender-billed inezia feeds on arthropods and small fruits, typically foraging alone or in pairs. It gleans prey and fruits from foliage and twigs while perched or by briefly hovering after a short flight, a behaviour that has been compared to that of vireos.

Did you know?

Nothing is currently known about the breeding biology of the slender-billed inezia.