Mistletoe Tyrannulet
Encyclopedia
The Paltry Tyrannulet also known as the Mistletoe Tyrannulet, is a very small passerine
bird
in the tyrant flycatcher
family. It breeds from southern Mexico
to Panama
. The Venezuelan Tyrannulet
(Z. improbus) of northern Colombia
and northern Venezuela
was previously considered to be a subspecies
of this bird.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is a common bird from the lowlands to 3000 m altitude, mainly in humid regions. It can be found in forests, second growth, pasture and plantations with trees, and shady gardens.
The nest is roughly spherical with a side entrance and made of mosses and lined with plant fibre; it may be built amongst mosses or dangling epiphyte
roots, inside a large dead leaf, or inside or below a Yellow-olive Flycatcher’s
pendant nest. It is constructed 2-15 m above the ground. The typical clutch is two rufous-marked dull white eggs. Incubation by the female is 14-15 days to hatching, with another 17 days to fledging.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is 9.5 cm long and weighs 8.5 g. The upperparts are olive-green other than a dull grey crown to the head and grey supercilia
. The wings are blackish with yellow feather edging but no wing bars, and the longish tail is dusky. The throat and breast are off-white with grey streaking, the belly is white, and the flanks have a dull yellow-green cast. The long legs are blackish. The sexes are similar, but young birds have an olive crown, yellow-tinged supercilia and broader but paler wing bars. The call is a loud peeer and the dawn song is a plaintive yer-de-dee, yer-de-dee.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is an active bird, usually seen alone or in pairs high in trees. It eats mainly mistletoe
, but also other berries and small insect
s, all taken in flight in short sallies from a perch.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
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 tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
family. It breeds from southern 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...
to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. The Venezuelan Tyrannulet
Venezuelan Tyrannulet
The Venezuelan tyrannulet is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
(Z. improbus) of northern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and northern Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
was previously considered to be a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of this bird.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is a common bird from the lowlands to 3000 m altitude, mainly in humid regions. It can be found in forests, second growth, pasture and plantations with trees, and shady gardens.
The nest is roughly spherical with a side entrance and made of mosses and lined with plant fibre; it may be built amongst mosses or dangling epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
roots, inside a large dead leaf, or inside or below a Yellow-olive Flycatcher’s
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
The Yellow-olive Flatbill or Yellow-olive Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is found in tropical and subtopical forest and woodland in Central and South America, but over its range there are significant variations in plumage, iris-colour and voice, leading to...
pendant nest. It is constructed 2-15 m above the ground. The typical clutch is two rufous-marked dull white eggs. Incubation by the female is 14-15 days to hatching, with another 17 days to fledging.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is 9.5 cm long and weighs 8.5 g. The upperparts are olive-green other than a dull grey crown to the head and grey supercilia
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
. The wings are blackish with yellow feather edging but no wing bars, and the longish tail is dusky. The throat and breast are off-white with grey streaking, the belly is white, and the flanks have a dull yellow-green cast. The long legs are blackish. The sexes are similar, but young birds have an olive crown, yellow-tinged supercilia and broader but paler wing bars. The call is a loud peeer and the dawn song is a plaintive yer-de-dee, yer-de-dee.
The Paltry Tyrannulet is an active bird, usually seen alone or in pairs high in trees. It eats mainly mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
, but also other berries and small insect
Insect
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, all taken in flight in short sallies from a perch.
External links
- Photo; Article Guatemalan Study area
- Photo; Article AOCR-(Costa Rica)
- "Paltry Tyrannulet" photo gallery VIREO
