Black-capped Tyrannulet - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Steve Herrmann (Ecuadorrebel)
Photo taken at Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador

Tyranniscus nigrocapillus

Phyllomyias nigrocapillus

Identification

11cm (4 1/4) Bill is short and totally black. Black crown with narrow white superciliary. Dark olive with wings blackish with 2 conspicuous and bold yellow/white bars and dusky tail. Throat grayish with yellow underparts and breast olive.

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru

Taxonomy

There are 3 subspecies:

• T. n. flavimentum:

• Santa Marta Mountains (north-eastern Colombia)

• T. n. nigrocapillus:

• Andes of Colombia and Ecuador to southern Peru (Cuzco)

• T. n. aureus:

• Andes of western Venezuela (northern Táchira to southern Lara)

Habitat

Moist montanes. Normally near or just below tree line. Temperate forest and woodland.

Behaviour

Frequently accompanies mixed flocks. Very active, often twitching its wings. Can be seen singly or in pairs. Can be seen at varying levels.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-capped Tyrannulet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-capped_Tyrannulet

External Links

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