Swainson's Flycatcher

Overview

Swainson's flycatcher, Myiarchus swainsoni, is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family found across most mainland South America, excluding Chile and French Guiana. The species is assessed as of Least Concern by the IUCN due to its very large range and stable population.

Identification

• Adults of the nominate subspecies feature dull olive gray-green upperparts with a slight crest, contrasting with a gray throat and breast and yellowish underparts.
• M. s. phaeonotus is distinct with very dark smoky gray upperparts and a completely black bill, while M. s. ferocior is the palest subspecies with a darker face.
• The bird is 19.5 to 21 cm long with a brown maxilla and a pale rufous-brown to pinkish mandible.
• The dawn song consists of alternated mournful whistles, eight-note phrases, and more complex phrases, accompanied by a typical mournful whistle call.

Habitat

Inhabiting a wide variety of open landscapes east of the Andes, the species frequents clearings in extensive forest, wooded cerrado, scrublands, and riparian zones. Its range spans from western Venezuela and the Amazon Basin south to Argentina and Uruguay, with some individuals acting as vagrants to Aruba and Trinidad.

Diet

Swainson's flycatcher feeds on insects and fruits, with migrants appearing to consume more fruit during the non-breeding season. Foraging behaviour primarily involves capturing prey from vegetation by briefly hovering after a short sally from a perch, occasionally seizing food in mid-air or directly from vegetation without hovering.

Did you know?

The species' taxonomy remains unsettled; studies from the early 2000s revealed that the nominate subspecies is genetically distinct from the other three, which are more closely related to the dusky-capped flycatcher, prompting some authors to urge reevaluation of its classification.