Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet

Overview

The sulphur-bellied tyrannulet (Mecocerculus minor) is a species of tyrant flycatcher found in South America. It is a year-round resident inhabiting the east slopes of the Andes, with scattered records in western Venezuela and western Ecuador. The IUCN has assessed the species as being of Least Concern.

Identification

• Measures 11 to 12 cm in length with a thin, pointed, black bill featuring a pale base to the mandible.
• Adults possess a medium gray crown, dark olive upperparts, and a dusky olive tail with buffy-tinged edges.
• Displays a bright yellow belly and undertail coverts, contrasting with a deep yellow lower throat and breast washed with olive.
• Wings show two distinct bars from the wide buffy tips of the coverts, while the flight feathers have wide buff edges.

Habitat

Found primarily on the east slope of the Andes from central Colombia through Ecuador to Huánuco Department in Peru, with patchy distribution. It inhabits humid montane forests in subtropical and temperate zones, favouring secondary forest, forest edges, patchy cloud forest, and clearings with scattered trees rather than unbroken mature forest.

Diet

Feeds mostly on insects and includes small fruits in its diet. Forages singly or in pairs, often joining mixed-species flocks at the outer edges of trees or lower at forest edges. Captures food by gleaning from leaves and twigs while perched and makes short upward flights to briefly hover.

Did you know?

The species seems to favour edge habitats and may be expanding its range and becoming more common as a consequence of forest clearance by humans.