Oustalet's Tyrannulet

Overview

Oustalet's tyrannulet is a species of tyrant flycatcher endemic to southeastern Brazil. Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, it is a year-round resident that inhabits humid forests in the subtropical and tropical zones.

Identification

• Approximately 12 cm long with a long, pointed, black bill and gray legs.
• Face is bright yellow with yellowish lores forming a wide eye-ring, and a blackish line through the eye that extends as a crescent around the ear coverts.
• Crown, upperparts, and tail are olive, with wings featuring two wing bars from yellowish tips on the coverts.
• Underparts are yellow with a heavy wash of olive on the breast; both sexes share identical plumage.
• Song is an energetic, high, nasal 'tueu-wí-tjeu-wíja' with calls including a short 'trrrri' and a trill of small 'tek' notes.

Habitat

Found along a narrow band in southeastern Brazil from southern Bahia to eastern Santa Catarina. It inhabits humid forests in subtropical and tropical zones between 500 and 900 m in elevation, primarily within the forest interior and occasionally at its borders.

Diet

Feeds primarily on insects and other arthropods such as spiders. It forages actively in the sub-canopy and canopy, typically perching horizontally on a branch with its tail cocked up and making short sallies to snatch or hover-glean prey from leaves and twigs, usually in pairs, family groups, or mixed-species flocks.

Did you know?

Its nest is a dome constructed from plant fibers and moss with a side entrance and lined with seed down, usually placed 2.3 to 4 m above the ground.