I am not sure about the identification of this Myiobius-flycatcher, photographed near Esquinas Rainforest Lodge in Southern Costa Rica. Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher or Black-tailed Flycatcher? Sorry about the bad quality of the pictures. Thank you in advance for your help. Michael
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Myiobius Flycatcher from Costa Rica (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MiWi
- Start date
Both are present there I see. I'd go for sulphur-rumped for the following reasons:
- Bill is strongly bicoloured. Both can show this perhaps, but it's commoner in sulphur-rumped
- Mantle not very dark (darker on black-tailed)
- A hint of a vertical line below eye. Garrigues and Dean suggest this indicates Sulphur-rumped
- Ebird suggests this level of tawnyness on the chest is possible for black-tailed but unusual
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
I'd go the other way, Black-tailed for me, what was the habitat, forest edge, dry, wet? I'm not seeing a hint of a bar below the eye?
The apparently 'tawnyness' on the breast should also be apparent on the flanks and it's not?
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Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
According to the books, it is, with Black-tailed preferring drier forest.
You're channeling Garrigues and Dean I suspect. I checked ebird images since none of the field guide descriptions are failsafe. Results are in my original post...
Wto habitat, black-tailed supposedly often close to streams...
Btw, our opus entry mentions "buff-rumped flycatcher" against one subspecies. Is this a potential split..? Anyone know of any molecular work on these forms?
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
It says that for both of them!
Wrt to the OP, I suspect the breast colour is greatly exagerrated, look at the head and nape which shouldn't be anywhere near that bright, compare below
Black-tailed Flycatcher (Myiobius atricaudus) - Peru Aves
The Black-tailed Flycatcher has olive-brown upperparts with a black tail it often flashes and spread wide while foraging for insects. It has a light yellow
www.peruaves.org
Where? I only have the streams comment in Vallely and Dyer. In general black-tailed in drier (edge) habitats but also at streamsIt says that for both of them
Black-tailed Flycatcher (Myiobius atricaudus) - Peru Aves
The Black-tailed Flycatcher has olive-brown upperparts with a black tail it often flashes and spread wide while foraging for insects. It has a light yellow
Re: colours in the op photos.
Not sure if the colours are representative or not. For me key is difference between chest and belly colour: is chest darker, and how extensive is this? My analysis at my first post...
Birds of Peru says Sulphur-rumped has tail shorter than wings, Black-tailed same length as wings. I think the op photos indicate it's shorter
(Note field guide descriptions differ as to which has the relatively darker upperparts. The illustrations in birds of Peru contradict its text.)
(Note field guide descriptions differ as to which has the relatively darker upperparts. The illustrations in birds of Peru contradict its text.)
(I note that the distribution of the darker chest colour is either variable by subspecies or described inconsistently. In Venezuela, Black-tailed has it described thus:
broad chest band tawny buff to grayish buff... ...the buff extending down sides onto flanks, rest of underparts
yellow.)
...i.e. what you expect of Sulphur-rumped.
broad chest band tawny buff to grayish buff... ...the buff extending down sides onto flanks, rest of underparts
yellow.)
...i.e. what you expect of Sulphur-rumped.
