Alternative name: Black-tailed Myiobius
- Myiobius atricaudus
Identification
12–12·7 cm (4¾-5 in)
- Long rictal bristles
- Dark olive-green crown, nape and back
- Yellow coronal patch (partially concealed)
Similar Species
Very similar to Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher with some habitat preference difference. Note the following possible differences:
- chest / upper belly is usually paler in Black-tailed and of uniform colour. When its chest is darker than the belly, the tawny colour tends to be less dark and more restricted than in Sulphur-rumped
- contrasting rump colour area may be larger in Black-tailed (extends further up between wings)
- rump colour is more cream, less strongly yellow in Black-tailed
- bill tends to be less clearly bicoloured in Black-tailed. Sulphur-rumped fairly often shows a clear pink lower mandible with a dark tip
- Black-tailed does not show a vertical line extending downwards from the centre of the eye. Sulphur-rumped may [4]
- mantle and wings may be paler (and less brown) than in Sulphur-rumped. (NB sources differ on this point and it's possible that it varies geographically)
- tail may be darker (blacker) in Black-tailed
- Tail is more rounded in Black-tailed; more square in Sulphur-rumped
- Black-tailed more likely to be in edge habitats and secondary growth than Sulphur-rumped, and often near streams
- Black-tailed has a relatively longer tail, the same length as its wings. Sulphur-rumped's tail is shorter
Distribution
Central and South America:
Central America: Costa Rica, Panama
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 7 subspecies [1]:
Atricaudus Group
- M. a. atricaudus: Tropical south-western Costa Rica to Panama and western Colombia
- M. a. portovelae: Western Ecuador and extreme north-western Peru (Tumbes)
- M. a. modestus: Eastern Venezuela (northern Bolívar)
- M. a. adjacens: Southern Colombia (Putumayo) to eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and western Brazil
- M. a. connectens: North-eastern Brazil (Rio Tapajós to northern Maranhão)
- M. a. snethlagei: North-eastern Brazil (Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará and western Bahia to south-eastern Goiás)
- M. a. ridgwayi: "Buff-rumped Flycatcher". South-eastern Brazil (Espírito Santa and southern Minas Gerais to north-eastern Paraná)
Habitat
Dry and humid forests, bushy second growth and forest borders
Behaviour
Their tail is often fanned.
Diet
They forage in the middle to lower levels of the trees for athropods.
Usually found singly or in pairs, sometimes in mixed species flocks.
Breeding
The female constructs an untidy bell-shaped, suspended nest from fine plant fibres.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2017)
- Garrigues, R. and Dean, R. (2014) The Birds of Costa Rica : A Field Guide. Cornell University Press. Second edition.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-tailed Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-tailed_Flycatcher
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
