Grey-breasted Flycatcher

Overview

The grey-breasted flycatcher (Lathrotriccus griseipectus) is a species of tyrant flycatcher found in Ecuador and Peru. It belongs to the genus Lathrotriccus and was previously classified under Empidonax. Currently assessed as Least Concern, the species has an estimated population of 10,000 to 20,000 mature individuals that is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Approximately 13 cm long and 11 g in weight, with grey crown, nape, and cheeks.
• Upperparts are grey with a tinge of brown or olive, while wings are dusky with two white wing bars and white edges on secondaries and tertials.
• The throat is greyish white, the breast has a darker grey wash, and the belly is white to whitish with a pale yellow tinge.
• Features a dark iris, black upper bill, pale orange-yellow lower bill, and blackish brown legs.
• Song is described as a slightly descending series of burry notes, "zhwee-zhwe-zhwe-zhwe", or a repeated, buzzy "DZEE-heer...DZEE-dzureet?".

Habitat

The species has a disjunct distribution, occurring intermittently along the western slope of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru, as well as on the eastern Andean slope in Peru's Chinchipe and Marañón river valleys. It inhabits the lower levels of humid and deciduous forest and woodland, especially favoring vine tangles, typically from sea level to below 800 m but reaching up to 1,700 m in Ecuador.

Diet

The grey-breasted flycatcher feeds on insects, typically foraging singly or in pairs. It perches upright, somewhat hidden in dense vegetation like vine tangles at the sunny edge of forest gaps up to about 4 m above the ground, and captures prey by hawking from the perch.

Did you know?

Its nest is an open cup constructed from dead leaves and bark, lined with softer plant fibres and fungal rhizomorphs. It is believed to make seasonal movements to wetter parts of its range during the dry season.