White-bellied Pygmy Tyrant

Overview

The white-bellied pygmy tyrant (Myiornis albiventris) is a small species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is a year-round resident found in South America.

Identification

• About 7 cm long and weighing 5–6 g, it is a very small, large-headed bird with uniform plumage in both sexes.
• Features a buff whitish area surrounding the eye and a greyish crescent behind the ear coverts, with a bright olive crown tinged with brown.
• Possesses a reddish iris, a blackish bill, and pinkish legs and feet.
• Song is described as a mellow, tinkling, rising-falling trill, sometimes ending with stuttered notes.

Habitat

Found intermittently along the eastern slope of the Andes from southern Ecuador through Peru to central Bolivia, with some extension onto outlying ridges in Peru. It inhabits humid montane forest, favouring edges, gaps from fallen trees, and vine tangles. Elevation ranges from 350 to 1,200 m, though it reaches only up to 1,100 m in Peru.

Diet

Feeds on insects, primarily foraging in the lower and middle levels of the vegetation. It takes prey using short upward sallies from a perch to grab insects from leaves.

Did you know?

The bird is easily overlooked by sight and is often detected primarily by its distinctive voice.