Flammulated Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Flammulated Flycatcher (Deltarhynchus flammulatus) is a species of bird
in the Tyrannidae family and is the only species in the monotypic genus
Deltarhynchus, although it is closely related to the birds of the genus Myiarchus
. It is endemic to the dry deciduous forest, arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland of Mexico
’s Pacific coast. The flycatcher is an olive to gray-brown bird with a streaked, pale gray chest, white throat, black bill
, dark gray feet, and dark brown wings. It is a skulking bird that typically remains hidden in the underbrush. It feeds by gleaning
insects off of leaves and twigs that it spots from an exposed perch. The female lays approximately three eggs in a nest made in a shallow tree cavity.
, who placed this species in the genus
Myiarchus
. However, in 1893 it was split from Myiarchus into the new, monotypic
genus Deltarhynchus by Robert Ridgway because of its shorter and broader bill, more rounded wings, and partially streaked underparts. This change was upheld in 1901 by Richard Bowdler Sharpe
and by subsequent authors. However, in 1977 ornithologist Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr.
, while upholding its status as a monotypic genus, said that the species should be lumped back into Myiarchus if its nesting habits were similar to those of that genus. These doubts were put to rest by Wesley Lanyon's research of the flycatcher in 1979, which confirmed the bird's placement in a monotypic genus.
Deltarhynchus is similar to the genus Myiarchus, but is distinguished from it by a broader and shorter bill, more rounded wings, a different face pattern, pale cinnamon wing and tail edgings, voice, streaking on the chest, and the bird's skulking habits. The Flammulated Flycatcher's generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
words delta, which means 'delta-shaped' or, in this case, 'wedge', and rhynchos, which means 'beak'. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin
word flammula, which means 'little flame'. The flycatcher has no subspecies.
The Flammulated Flycatcher is approximately 6 to 6.5 inches (15-16.5 cm) in length and has a chunky body. Adult males and females are similar in plumage, with each possessing olive to a worn grey-brown upperparts and head. A whitish supraloral stripe and crescent are behind the bird's eyes. It also has a dusky lore. The throat is whitish and the chest is a pale gray with inconspicuous dusky streaking, while the belly and undertail coverts are a pale yellow. Additionally, this species has dark brown, well-rounded wing
s with pale cinnamon-edged coverts and remiges. The wings are about 3 inches (76.2 mm) long. The tail is also a dark brown edged with a narrow band of pale cinnamon. It is barely shorter than the wing and slightly rounded. The bird's bill is black, broad, and triangular with a slightly paler base and about half the length of the its head. The legs are a dark gray and end with large, curved, and sharp claws. It has an orange mouth and a brown eye. The juvenile is similar to the adult, although the tail has a broad band of pale cinnamon.
's western coast from Sinaloa
to western Chiapas
, while possibly extending into Guatemala
, although this has not been confirmed. The total area that it lives in is estimated to be 66000 km² (25,482.7 sq mi). Its range is discontinuous and it is found in low densities when present. It lives in dry deciduous forest, arid and semi-arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland at about 1000–1400 meters (3280–4593 ft) above sea level. This species is non-migratory.
" on the IUCN Red List
due to its large range and the belief that the total population numbers over 10,000 individuals; however, no precise estimate on the bird's population exists. While the species is known to be uncommon in parts of its range, its population is not believed to be declining enough to pass the threshold of 30% in ten years or three generations necessary to be listed as Near Threatened, although the exact population trends also have not been quantified.
, it does not bob its head while displaying the crest.
s. Once it spots a potential meal, the flycatcher rapidly and directly flies at the insect, which is normally on the exposed upper surface of a leaf or twig. It hovers briefly before the insect before grabbing it in its beak and flying away to typically a new perch.
is shaped like a cup and is composed of fine vegetable fibers, dried leaves, and shredded bark. Unlike the similar Myiarchus flycatchers, it does not use snakeskin or other materials to build its nest. The female lays three eggs that are creamy to pinkish in color and are decorated with brown and gray splotches.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Tyrannidae family and is the only species in the monotypic genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Deltarhynchus, although it is closely related to the birds of the genus Myiarchus
Myiarchus
Myiarchus is a genus of tyrant flycatchers. They are all fairly similar looking and areas where they overlap in range can making identification to species difficult at best....
. It is endemic to the dry deciduous forest, arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
’s Pacific coast. The flycatcher is an olive to gray-brown bird with a streaked, pale gray chest, white throat, black bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, dark gray feet, and dark brown wings. It is a skulking bird that typically remains hidden in the underbrush. It feeds by gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
insects off of leaves and twigs that it spots from an exposed perch. The female lays approximately three eggs in a nest made in a shallow tree cavity.
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1875 by ornithologist George Newbold LawrenceGeorge Newbold Lawrence
George Newbold Lawrence was an American businessman and amateur ornithologist.Lawrence conducted Pacific bird surveys for Spencer Fullerton Baird and John Cassin, and the three men co-authored Birds of North America in 1858.Lawrence left his collection of 8,000 bird skins to the American Museum of...
, who placed this species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Myiarchus
Myiarchus
Myiarchus is a genus of tyrant flycatchers. They are all fairly similar looking and areas where they overlap in range can making identification to species difficult at best....
. However, in 1893 it was split from Myiarchus into the new, monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Deltarhynchus by Robert Ridgway because of its shorter and broader bill, more rounded wings, and partially streaked underparts. This change was upheld in 1901 by Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe was an English zoologist.-Biography:Sharpe was born in London and studied at Brighton College, The King's School, Peterborough and Loughborough Grammar School. At the age of sixteen he went to work for Smith & Sons in London...
and by subsequent authors. However, in 1977 ornithologist Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr.
Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr.
Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr. was an American ornithologist. He was the son of Chicago banker Melvin Alvah Traylor and Mrs. Dorothy Y. Traylor. Traylor was Lieutenant with the marines and served on Guadalcanal during World War II in 1942 where he was awarded with the Silver Star medal...
, while upholding its status as a monotypic genus, said that the species should be lumped back into Myiarchus if its nesting habits were similar to those of that genus. These doubts were put to rest by Wesley Lanyon's research of the flycatcher in 1979, which confirmed the bird's placement in a monotypic genus.
Deltarhynchus is similar to the genus Myiarchus, but is distinguished from it by a broader and shorter bill, more rounded wings, a different face pattern, pale cinnamon wing and tail edgings, voice, streaking on the chest, and the bird's skulking habits. The Flammulated Flycatcher's generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words delta, which means 'delta-shaped' or, in this case, 'wedge', and rhynchos, which means 'beak'. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word flammula, which means 'little flame'. The flycatcher has no subspecies.
Description
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s with pale cinnamon-edged coverts and remiges. The wings are about 3 inches (76.2 mm) long. The tail is also a dark brown edged with a narrow band of pale cinnamon. It is barely shorter than the wing and slightly rounded. The bird's bill is black, broad, and triangular with a slightly paler base and about half the length of the its head. The legs are a dark gray and end with large, curved, and sharp claws. It has an orange mouth and a brown eye. The juvenile is similar to the adult, although the tail has a broad band of pale cinnamon.
Vocalization
The Flammulated Flycatcher mostly sings from April to August, which includes its breeding season, and tends to remain hidden while singing. The song of the flycatcher is a plaintive whistle followed by a short but quick roll. It can also give a plaintive and slurred chew call, which is often sung three to five times in a descending series, as well as a squeaky chatter. Calls are the same for males and females and are given throughout the day to give a location, identify an individual, sound an alarm, and mark the limits of a territory, among other functions. During the breeding season, males give what is known as a dawn song every morning, which includes the calls chee-bee beet and churr-r-r-bee bee in alternation.Distribution and habitat
This flycatcher is endemic to the Pacific lowlands of MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's western coast from Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
to western Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, while possibly extending into Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, although this has not been confirmed. The total area that it lives in is estimated to be 66000 km² (25,482.7 sq mi). Its range is discontinuous and it is found in low densities when present. It lives in dry deciduous forest, arid and semi-arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland at about 1000–1400 meters (3280–4593 ft) above sea level. This species is non-migratory.
Status
The Flammulated Flycatcher is listed as "Least ConcernLeast Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
" on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
due to its large range and the belief that the total population numbers over 10,000 individuals; however, no precise estimate on the bird's population exists. While the species is known to be uncommon in parts of its range, its population is not believed to be declining enough to pass the threshold of 30% in ten years or three generations necessary to be listed as Near Threatened, although the exact population trends also have not been quantified.
Ecology and behavior
This flycatcher is a sluggish and skulking species that usually remains in the underbrush. When excited either by an intruder or when attempting to attract a mate, this species raises the feathers on its crown to form what appears to be a crest; however, unlike the closely related genus MyiarchusMyiarchus
Myiarchus is a genus of tyrant flycatchers. They are all fairly similar looking and areas where they overlap in range can making identification to species difficult at best....
, it does not bob its head while displaying the crest.
Feeding
The Flammulated Flycatcher forages by perching on an open branch and looking outward and downward for prey, which primarily consists of insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. Once it spots a potential meal, the flycatcher rapidly and directly flies at the insect, which is normally on the exposed upper surface of a leaf or twig. It hovers briefly before the insect before grabbing it in its beak and flying away to typically a new perch.
Reproduction
The flycatcher breeds around June of each year. It nests in shallow tree cavities that are surprisingly close to the ground, at approximately 90 centimeters above it. The nestBird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is shaped like a cup and is composed of fine vegetable fibers, dried leaves, and shredded bark. Unlike the similar Myiarchus flycatchers, it does not use snakeskin or other materials to build its nest. The female lays three eggs that are creamy to pinkish in color and are decorated with brown and gray splotches.