White-throated Tyrannulet

Overview

The white-throated tyrannulet (Mecocerculus leucophrys) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, commonly known as the tyrant flycatchers. It is found across the Andes and other mountainous regions of South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Identification

• Length ranges from 11 to 14 cm with dark olive-grey upperparts and a distinct white, puffy throat.
• Features a vest-like grey band on the breast, with the rest of the underparts being medium yellow.
• Possesses a long black bill, black legs, and dark brown irises, with cinnamon-buff to yellowish buff edges on the wings forming two wide bars.
• Dawn song consists of an excited-sounding 'ch'd'dik, ch'd'dik, ch'd'dik, chéw' with occasional 'kee-keek' notes.

Habitat

This species inhabits a variety of temperate landscapes in the Andes and other mountains, including the interior and edges of humid montane forest, stunted cloudforest, elfin forest, and Polylepis woodland. It also occupies clearings and pastures with many shrubs, occurring at elevations between 2,500 and 3,600 m in Colombia and up to 4,600 m in Peru.

Diet

The white-throated tyrannulet feeds mostly on insects and spiders, with some small fruits included in its diet. It usually forages singly or in pairs, regularly joining mixed-species feeding flocks, and perches upright to glean food from leaves and twigs, sometimes hanging underneath or making short flights to hover.

Did you know?

Unlike most tyrannulets, this bird perches upright when foraging. Its nest is a cup made of plant fibers, wool, moss, and spider web, typically placed on a horizontal branch between 1.4 and 4 m above the ground.