Bulletin 411 - Colombia 2022 #8 - Flycatchers

I was planning to go to Peru in 2022 but there were riots and road closures in the areas we were planning to go. So at the last minute I went back to Colombia and saw some other places. 

Unfortunately, there was a lot of overlap, so I did not get a lot of new birds on the trip. However, many areas now have set up feeding stations and several were built for photography. I used the same guide Pablo Florez and I had my daughter with me on the trip this year.

However on the bright side, the setups for photography and the number of places that had feeders allowed me to get many improved photos of birds I had not so good photos before.

The New World flycatchers (tyrannidae) are the largest family of birds with 448 species currently. With the numbers of splits occurring, I would not be surprised if there will be 475 or even 500 species in the years ahead.

It is hard for me to remember which flycatchers I had photographed before. But I definitely know that this endemic to southwest Colombia was a lifer. The 7.5" Apical Flycatcher (Myiarchus apicalis) is a typical looking bird for that genus. It is probably the only genus I can recognize on sight. OK except for the Vermilion Flycatcher hahahaha. There are 3 of this genus in USA and 22 in total.

Apical Flycatcher

The 5.5" Mountain Elaenia (Elaenia frantzii) is a typical drab flycatcher and best IDed by voice. That is why I always have a guide!

Mountain Elaenia

The 3.8" Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum) is a widespread bird I have seen many times and I can recognize - the black cap, bright yellow breast and white eye.

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Another I can recognize is the 4.8" Ornate Flycatcher (Myiotriccus ornatus). The bright yellow breast and gray head and the white dot above the eye are diagnostic.

Ornate Flycatcher

The 6" Pacific Flatbill (Rhynchocyclus pacificus) is confined to the Choco region in Colombia and Ecuador. This would be another lifer as I had never been there before. The wide bill and gray eye ring are ID marks, but a guide who knows the voice is best hahaha.

Pacific Flatbill

Tyrannulets are dimunitive flycatchters is several genuses. The 4.5" Black-capped Tyrannulet (Phyllomyias nigrocapillus) is a yellowish flycatcher with wing bars and a black crest.

Black-capped Tyrannulet

The 4.5" Golden-faced Tyrannulet (Zimmerius chrysops) has a light breast and yellow on the face.

Golden-faced Tyrannulet

Chat-Tyrants are a colorful group of medium sized flycatchers. The 6" Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor) has a brown back, black wings and a rusty breast.

Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant

His cousin, the 5.5" Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca rufipectoralis) has a striped face, white belly and orange throat and wing bars

Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant

Lastly is the 6" Rufous-tailed Tyrant (Knipolegus poecilurus). He has a distinctive red eye and rufous tail. Although the guide book says this bird is 'uncommon and seldom encountered' this was my second time to see it. 

Rufous-tailed Tyrant

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 134 of the 448 species of Tyrant Flycatchers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 286 - Colombia #9 - Flycatchers

Pablo Florez, the main guide, has co-written a book where to bird in Colombia. In it, he has a list of the Top 30 Most Sought-after Birds by a group of 40 birders visiting Colombia. I saw 12 of them on the trip and got photos of 10. When I show one of these birds,  I will mention its placement on the list.

The Tyrannidae family of Tyrant Flycatchers is the largest family of birds with more that 430 species, all of which are in the New World. Many are rather plain, but I did see some new interesting flycatchers in Colombia.

The 3.5" Southern Bentbill (Oncostoma olivaceum) is IDed by the unusual bill and white eye.

Southern Bentbill

The 4.75" Torrent Tyrannulet (Serpophaga cinerea) is gray with a black head and wings. It is found along mountain streams. I had seen this bird at a distance before, but several were rather close on this trip.

Torrent Tyrannulet

The large 9" Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant (Myiotheretes striaticollis) put on a wonderful show the first morning as we were having breakfast at a farmhouse with hummingbird feeders.  What a beautiful flycatcher.

Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant

Another of the same genus is the 8" Smoky Bush-Tyrant (Myiotheretes fumigatus). It is gray brown overall with no other markings.

Smoky Bush-Tyrant

The 6" Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor) is IDed by the white eye stripe and overrall reddish brown.

Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant

A long time favorite of mine is the 5" White-headed Marsh-Tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala). I had seen this bird in 1991 in Venezuela, but this is the first time to see it since then. The cute male is black with a white head. the female has a white head and underparts with gray back. They sit up on exposed perches near wetlands and is a snap to ID.

White-headed Marsh-Tyrant - male

The 5" Pied Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola pica) is also found near water but is mostly white with black back, wings and tail.

Pied Water-Tyrant

The 4.5" Handsome Flycatcher (Nephelomyias pulcher) has a gray cap and a rusty breast and wing bars.

Handsome Flycatcher

Another bird I saw in Venezuela in 1991 and did not see again until this trip is the 8" Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa). It is IDed by the black eye strip and bright yellow belly. It is found in open farmland and often may be on the ground or perched on the back of a grazing animal.

Cattle Tyrant

And lastly is the 4" Black-throated Tody-Tyrant (Hemitriccus granadensis). These tiny flycatchers are difficult to see well as they flit around constantly,. So it is always exciting for me to get a good photo of one of them. Then I can really see what the bird looks like. It is olive above, white below with a black throat.

Black-throated Tody-Tyrant

I have updated my Tyrant Flycatcher family photos. There are 435 species and I have photos of 114 of them here.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2017 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.