Venezuelan Flycatcher

Overview

The Venezuelan flycatcher, Myiarchus venezuelensis, is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is a year-round resident found in Colombia, Venezuela, and on Tobago.

Identification

• Size is 18 to 19 cm long with a weight of 27 to 33 g.
• Plumage features a dark olive-green to brownish olive crown with a slight crest and gray cheeks.
• Bill is brownish black with a pinkish to orange base, and legs are gray to slaty-black.
• Dawn song consists of a repeated series of plaintive whistles without eight-note sequences.

Habitat

The species inhabits the understory of deciduous and semi-deciduous woodlands, as well as forest edges, gallery forests, and anthropogenic landscapes like plantations and gardens. Its range is disjunct, extending from northern Colombia to northern Venezuela and including the islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Elevation ranges from sea level to 700 m in Colombia and 500 m in Venezuela.

Diet

It feeds on insects and small fruits, foraging singly or in pairs. The bird primarily captures prey by perching in the open mid-story and briefly hovering after a short sally, though it also hovers to collect fruit.

Did you know?

The Venezuelan flycatcher is almost identical to the short-crested and Panama flycatchers, making it virtually impossible to distinguish from them in the field except by voice and range.