| Orange-crested flycatcher | |
|---|---|
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| Orange-crested flycatcher inZamora-Chinchipe,Ecuador | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Myiophobus |
| Species: | M. phoenicomitra |
| Binomial name | |
| Myiophobus phoenicomitra (Taczanowski &Berlepsch, 1885) | |
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Theorange-crested flycatcher (Myiophobus phoenicomitra) is a species ofbird in the familyTyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found inColombia,Ecuador, andPeru.[2]
The orange-crested flycatcher wasoriginally described by ornithologists Władysław Taczanowski and Hans von Berlepsch in 1885 asMyiobius phoenicomitra with the type locality beingTungurahua Province in Ecuador.[3] It was later moved from the genusMyiobius toMyiophobus.
The orange-crested flycatcher has two subspecies, thenominateM. p. phoenicomitra (Taczanowski &Berlepsch, 1885) andM. p. litae (Hartert, 1900).[2]
The orange-crested flycatcher is 11.5 to 12 cm (4.5 to 4.7 in) long and weighs about 11 g (0.39 oz).[4][5] The sexes have almost identical plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have an olive crown with a mostly hidden orange-rufous (rarely orange-red or golden yellow) patch in the middle. Females do not have this patch. Both sexes sometimes have a faint yellowish brokeneye-ring on an otherwise olive face. Their back and rump are olive. Their wings are blackish with cinnamon edges on the flight feathers and ochraceous tips of the wingcoverts; the latter show as two or threewing bars. Their tail is dusky with buffy olive edges to the feathers. Their throat and underparts are yellow that is brightest on their belly; the breast has faint olive streaks. SubspeciesM. p. litae is smaller than the nominate with wider and richer ochre wing bars and a brighter yellow belly. Juveniles are similar to adult females but with browner upperparts and cinnamon wing bars. Both subspecies have a dark iris, a fairly broad bill with a blackmaxilla and a pinkishmandible, and black or dark gray legs and feet. The closely relatedflavescent flycatcher (M. flavicans) is very similar but has lighter upperparts, wider edging on the flight feathers, usually a black bill, a readily visible yellow eye-ring and line above thelores, and warmer yellow underparts.[4][6][7][8][9]
The orange-crested flycatcher has adisjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from westernPutumayo Department in southern Colombia intermittently south through eastern Ecuador and separately in northwesternSan Martín department in northeastern Peru. SubspeciesM. p. litae is found on the western slope of the Andes from centralAntioquia Department in Colombia south into northwestern Ecuador toPichincha Province; there are also records in southern Ecuador'sEl Oro Province. The species inhabits the interior and edges of humid forest in the foothills and subtropical zones. In elevation it occurs below 1,550 m (5,100 ft) in Colombia, between 600 and 1,550 m (2,000 and 5,100 ft) in Ecuador, and between 1,100 and 1,400 m (3,600 and 4,600 ft) in Peru. Though there is much range overlap with the flavescent flycatcher, that species is generally found at higher elevations.[4][6][7][8]
The orange-crested flycatcher is a year-round resident.[4]
The orange-crested flycatcher feeds onarthropods. It typically forages alone or in pairs, usually in the forest's understory. It seldom joinsmixed-species feeding flocks. When perched it has an erect posture. It takes prey in mid-air and from foliage, twigs, and the ground with short flights from a perch.[4][6][7][8]
The orange-crested flycatcher apparently breeds at least between March and June in western Colombia, but nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.[4]
| Songs and calls |
As of early 2025 all but one of the recordings of orange-crested flycatcher inxeno-canto were taken in Ecuador; the one came from Colombia. The song in Ecuador is "a weak, thin, high-pitched 'tsut-tseép-tsu' ".[7]
TheIUCN has assessed the orange-crested flycatcher as being of Least Concern. It has a restricted range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered uncommon in Colombia, local but possibly overlooked in Ecuador, and very local in Peru.[6][7][8] It occurs in Ecuador'sPodocarpus andSangay National Parks.[4]
Media related toMyiophobus phoenicomitra at Wikimedia Commons
