Choco Sirystes

Overview

The Choco sirystes (Sirystes albogriseus), formerly known as the western sirystes, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is a year-round resident found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.

Identification

• Size of 17.5 to 19 cm with black, gray, and white plumage.
• Features a black crown with a slight crest and slate gray face.
• Wings are dusky black with wide white edges on the coverts and secondaries.
• Calls include a husky 'shup-chip-chip' and a faster 'che-che-che' when excited.

Habitat

Found from the Panama Canal Zone east and south through western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits humid primary and mature secondary forests in tropical and lower subtropical zones, typically residing in the canopy but descending at forest edges.

Diet

The diet includes a variety of insects and seeds. The bird often joins mixed-species feeding flocks, taking prey and fruit with sallies from a perch.

Did you know?

The species was formerly known as the western sirystes, a name that changed following a 2013 study that split the genus Sirystes into four distinct species.