Grey-hooded Flycatcher

Overview

The grey-hooded flycatcher (Mionectes rufiventris) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, commonly known as tyrant flycatchers. It is native to South America, specifically found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Identification

• Adults possess a slate grey crown, nape, and face, with a dark olive back and rump.
• The chin and throat are pale grey, transitioning to buffy olive on the lower breast and bright cinnamon-buff on the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts.
• The bird measures 13.5 to 14 cm in length and has a long, dark brownish-grey bill with a pale pinkish base to the mandible.
• Its song is described as a slightly descending and accelerating series of nasal tjew notes that end by rising and slowing down.

Habitat

This species inhabits the interior and edges of humid primary and secondary Atlantic Forests in southeastern Brazil, southeastern Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. It ranges in elevation from sea level to 1,000 m.

Diet

The grey-hooded flycatcher feeds on a variety of fruits and arthropods, foraging primarily in the forest understory. It mostly hover-gleans food in short sallies from a perch, but occasionally captures prey on the wing.

Did you know?

Males perform displays at leks, though the individuals may be well separated, utilising behaviours such as jumping straight up with wing flicks and short fluttery flights. Their nests are pear-shaped balls made of plant fibres covered in moss, typically hung from a drooping vine over a small stream.