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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)

-Myiarchus Flycatchers (Genus Myiarchus)

-Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tuberculifer)


Myiarchus tuberculifer is a small insectivorous species of flycatcher found in a variety of habitats ranging from deciduous forest to open woodlands and urban parks. It primarily feeds on insects such as moths, beetles, and ants, which it captures in mid-air with its beak. Myiarchus tuberculifer is a small brown bird with a light gray underside and a distinctive yellow patch near its throat. It is a highly active species, often seen flitting among branches and trees in search of food.

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus tuberculifer

Diet

  • Primarily insects, including beetles, flies, wasps, bees, ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and spiders.

  • Also feeds on small berries and fleshy fruits, especially outside the breeding season.

  • Hunts from shaded perches, making short aerial sallies to catch flying insects or gleaning prey from foliage.

Range

  • Found from southeastern Arizona and Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical evergreen forests, pine-oak forests, woodland edges, gallery forests, second-growth, and shaded plantations from sea level to about 2,700 m.

Male / Female

  • Male: Olive-brown upperparts, dusky-gray head and throat, pale gray breast, bright yellow belly, and rufous edging on the tail and wings. Slightly larger than the female.

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

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

Size

  • Length: 17–19 cm (6.7–7.5 in)

  • Wingspan: 26–29 cm (10.2–11.4 in)

  • Weight: 18–26 g

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