Cinnamon Flycatcher

Overview

The cinnamon flycatcher (Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus) is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family, native to the cloud forests of the Andes and other South American mountain ranges. It is the only member of its genus and is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Length 11–13 cm, weight around 11 g, with identical plumage in both sexes.
• Adults possess a dark brownish crown with a partially hidden yellow patch, olive-brown upperparts, and cinnamon-rufous underparts where the belly is lighter.
• Wings are black with wide rufous edges on the flight feathers and coverts that form two wing bars, accompanied by a blackish tail.
• Features a wide black bill, blackish legs and feet, and a dark iris, while juveniles appear browner with ochraceous tips on lower back and tail feathers.

Habitat

Found across Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, inhabiting foothill and montane forests in subtropical and temperate zones between 700 and 3,400 m elevation. The species favours brushy clearings and edges, both natural and along roads, and often near rock faces in Colombia.

Diet

Feeds on arthropods and berries, typically foraging in pairs or joining mixed-species flocks without following them out of its territory. It perches on exposed branches from near the ground up to 15 m high, hawking prey in mid-air and usually returning to the same perch.

Did you know?

The cinnamon flycatcher lacks a dawn song and instead relies on a low-pitched, dry rattling call described as a 'pti-i-i-i-i' or 'tr-r-r-r-r-r'. It builds its open cup nest from moss and lichen in rock crevices, fallen logs, or tree bark, typically 1 to 5 m above the ground.