From Opus

Photo by Robert_Scanlon
Panama January 2004

Myiophobus fasciatus

Includes Rufescent Flycatcher

[edit] Identification

13 cm
Variable coloration; the gallery search finds several images of birds paler than described here.
Often dark red-brown head and upperparts, crown has a concealed yellow crest, 2 wing bars that differ in color depending on age, sex, and subspecies, whitish underparts, pale yellow belly, dark streaking on breast and flanks, bill black above, brown below.
Sexes similar.
Juveniles lack crown patch.

[edit] Distribution

From Costa Rica through Central America and in South America south to Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, northern Chile and Argentina and east to Trinidad, The Guianas and Brazil.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

There are 7 subspecies:

• M. f. furfurosus:

• South-western Costa Rica and western Panama; winters to the Pearl Islands

• M. f. fasciatus:

• Colombia to northern Venezuela, the Guianas and adjacent Brazil; winters to Trinidad

• M. f. crypterythrus:

• Tropical south-western Colombia to western Ecuador and extreme north-western Peru

• M. f. saturatus:

• Eastern Peru (San Martín to central Cuzco)

• M. f. auriceps :

• South-eastern Peru (Cuzco) to northern Bolivia, northern Argentina and western Paraguay

• M. f. flammiceps:

• Eastern Brazil (eastern Pará) to Uruguay, eastern Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina

• M. f. rufescens:

• Arid western Peru (La Libertad) to extreme northern Chile (Tarapacá)

The subspecies rufescens of south-western Peru and northern Chile has been proposed for full species status based on both plumage and vocalization differences.

[edit] Habitat

Open forest.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes small insects and berries.

[edit] Breeding

It bulds a deep cup nest from stems and bark, lined with fine plant fibres, suspended from a side branch low in a tree. The clutch consists of 2 cream eggs with a rufous ring which incubated by the female for 17 days; the young fledge 15-17 days later.

The nest is parasitised by the Shiny Cowbird.

[edit] Vocalisation

The call is a whistled chep, chewee.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
3. Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links