- Myiarchus ferox
Identification
18cm (7 in). A larger, dark-tailed and slightly crested Myiarchus Flycatcher.
- Dark olive brown above
- Moderately deep yellow belly
- Black bill
- Two dull grey wing-bars and pale grey edging to the wing feathers
Similar species
Swainson's Flycatcher has a light pinkish brown lower or (according to subspecies) upper mandible.
Distribution
Found in tropical South America, mainly in the Amazon Basin. Fairly common to common.
Taxonomy
Panama Flycatcher and Venezuelan Flycatcher were formerly included as subspecies in this species.
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized[1]:
- M.f. brunnescens in southwest Venezuela and extreme north-east Colombia
- M.f. ferox in the Amazon Basin (Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil
- M.f. australis from southeast Bolivia to southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay and possibly also Uruguay
Habitat
Edges and borders of forest and woodland.
Behaviour
Actions
Usually seen singly or in pairs. Often leans forward while perched, raises the crest and bobs the head.
Diet
Feeds on insects and fruits.
Breeding
The nest is placed in a tree cavity. Lays 2 eggs. Probably parasitized by Shiny Cowbird.
Vocalisation
Common call is a short, ringing whinny with a quality of a police whistle. Also slowly modulated whistles with a vibrato given infrequently during foraging.
Movements
A sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2004. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334696
- Joseph, L. (2019). Short-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus ferox). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/57502 on 4 August 2019).
- Schulenberg, T. S. & Stotz, D. F. & Lane, D. F. & O'Neill, J. P. & Parker III, T. A. & Egg, A. B. (2010). Birds of Peru: Revised and Updated Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691130231
- Short-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus ferox), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/shcfly1
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Short-crested Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Short-crested_Flycatcher
