White-banded Tyrannulet

Overview

The Mecocerculus stictopterus is a small tyrant flycatcher classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is a year-round resident found in the Andean regions of South America.

Identification

• 12.5 to 13 cm long with a weight of 8 to 11 g.
• Medium gray crown, white supercilium, and a blackish eye stripe on an otherwise whitish face.
• Dark dusky wings featuring bright yellow to ochraceous edges and two distinct pure white bars formed by coverts.
• Long, thin black bill with a dull pinkish base and gray legs.

Habitat

Occupies humid montane evergreen forest in the temperate zone, favouring mossy cloudforest, stunted elfin forest, and alder thickets along landslide scars. The species ranges across the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia at elevations between 1,900 and 3,600 m.

Diet

Feeds primarily on insects, supplemented by small fruits. It typically forages in pairs, small groups, or mixed-species flocks, gleaning from leaves and twigs in the mid-story to canopy while perching, often hanging upside down.

Did you know?

The song of this bird is described as a rising, wheezy 'rhzeee?' that is sometimes followed by a rich 'chew-bit' or a scratchy, thin, rising-falling chatter.