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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Tyrant Flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae)

-Empidonax Flycatchers (Genus Empidonax)

-White-throated Flycatcher (Empidonax albigularis)


Rather drab, small flycatcher of marshes and semiopen areas with bushes and hedges; winters mainly in lowland marshes. Flicks tail upward when perched. Looks similar to several other species in the genus Empidonax. Best identified by its distinctive call: a burry, slightly sneezy “rreeah,” quite different from Willow Flycatcher, which often occurs alongside White-throated in winter. Also note the whitish throat, buffy wingbars and flanks, and the lack of a distinct pale eye-ring.

White-throated Flycatcher

Empidonax albigularis

Diet

  • Primarily flying insects, including flies, mosquitoes, beetles, moths, wasps, bees, and other small arthropods.

  • Also feeds on spiders and occasionally small berries and fruits.

  • Hunts by sallying from exposed perches to capture insects in mid-air or by gleaning prey from foliage.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring from southern Sonora south along the Pacific slope through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and western Oaxaca.

  • Common in the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, second-growth forests, riparian woodlands, and semi-open habitats, generally from sea level to about 1,800 m.

Male vs. Female

  • Male: Olive-brown upperparts, pale gray breast, distinctive white throat, two buffy wing bars, and a pale eye ring. Slightly larger than the female.

  • Female: Nearly identical in plumage but generally a little smaller and slightly duller.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size differences or breeding behaviour.

Size

  • Length: 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in)

  • Wingspan: 19–21 cm (7.5–8.3 in)

  • Weight: 10–13 g

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