Flavescent Flycatcher

Overview

The flavescent flycatcher (Myiophobus flavicans) is a small bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in the Andes of South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Identification

• Measures 12 to 13 cm in length and weighs 10.2 to 12.9 g, with a somewhat broad bill that is typically black, though some subspecies exhibit a pinkish mandible.
• Features an olive face with a yellowish line above the lores and a thin, broken yellowish eye-ring; adult males of the nominate subspecies possess a mostly hidden yellow or orange patch on the olive crown, which is absent in females.
• Underparts are yellow, brightest on the belly, with faint olive streaks on the breast, while wings are dusky with cinnamon edges and wing bars.
• Vocalisations are sparse, consisting of a fast rhythmic series of 5–8 'kawhik' notes and sharp calls such as 'chiyp', 'tsew', and 'tsink'.

Habitat

Primarily inhabits the interior and edges of humid to wet forest in the subtropical and lower temperate zones, occasionally favouring stands of bamboo. Its elevation range varies by country, generally situated between 1,300 m and 2,800 m, though locally reaching up to 3,000 m in Peru and as low as 900 m in Venezuela.

Diet

Feeds on arthropods, typically foraging alone or in pairs from the forest understory into the mid-story. It seldom joins mixed-species feeding flocks and takes prey in mid-air and from foliage, twigs, and the ground with short flights from a perch where it maintains an erect posture.

Did you know?

The bird constructs a small cup nest from twigs and vines lined with feathers, yet details regarding its clutch size, incubation period, and parental care remain entirely unknown.