Bearded Tachuri

Overview

The bearded tachuri (Polystictus pectoralis) is a Near Threatened species of tyrant flycatcher found across mainland South America, excluding Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. It is characterised by a highly disjunct distribution and strict habitat requirements, facing threats from agricultural conversion and habitat degradation.

Identification

• Size: 8 to 10.5 cm long and 6 to 8 grams, with a short white supercilium and thin blackish eye-line on a face thinly striped black and white.
• Plumage: Males have a dusky to blackish crown with a flattened crest, buffy brown upperparts with tawny to rufous rump, and pale yellowish-white underparts with a cinnamon wash on the breast; a distinctive black and white striped chin forms the 'beard'.
• Legs and bill: Both sexes possess a fuscous brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.
• Song: A very high, thin series of about three 'see sisi' notes ending in a short, low 'krrak', plus weak rising 'feee' or 'pewee' contact calls.

Habitat

Primarily a grassland species, the bearded tachuri inhabits savanna with scattered shrubs, tall grassy areas in cerrado, Venezuela's Gran Sabana, and campos rupestres in Brazil. It mostly occurs below 1,300 m elevation, though the extinct P. p. bogotensis subspecies reached 2,600 m.

Diet

This bird feeds mostly on insects, usually foraging singly or in pairs, and occasionally joining mixed-species feeding flocks. It perches high in grass or a shrub, gleaning from the perch and making short flights just above the vegetation to hover-glean or move to another perch.

Did you know?

The species is thought to be polygynous, with males performing a flight display involving song and wing-buzzing to attract multiple females. Its breeding season varies significantly by region, ranging from June to July in eastern Colombia to September to January in Argentina and most of Brazil.