- Megarynchus pitangua
Identification
23 cm - 9"
Superficially very similar to the Great Kiskadee in size and colouration but with a totally different call. This species has less rufous on the wings and tail as well as a less prominent crownstripe. None of these characteristics stand out in the field, and the best diagnostic feature is the large wide bulky bill with a prominent convex culmen.
Distribution
Mexico through Central America and South America to Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
Taxonomy
The genus is frequently misspelled as Megarhynchus2.
Subspecies
Six subspecies are recognized[1]:
- M. p. tardiusculus:
- Foothills of north-western Mexico (southern Sinaloa to Nayarit)
- M. p. caniceps:
- South-western Mexico (southern Jalisco)
- M. p. mexicanus:
- M. p. deserticola:
- Central Guatemala (valley of Río Negro)
- M. p. pitangua:
- Tropical northern and central South America to northern Argentina; winters to Trinidad
- M. p. chrysogaster:
Habitat
Variable from mostly open areas to forest edge.
Behaviour
Diet
Boat-bills hunt large insects -- especially Cicadas, small vertebrates, spiders and fruits.
Vocalisation
Boat-billed Flycatcher with Channel-billed Toucans
Recording by Andrew Whitehouse, Regua, Brazil, September 2008
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- SACC baseline
- Birds of Venezuela 2nd Edition. Steven Hilty. Princeton University Press 2003
- Birds of Northern South America.Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner, Miguel Lentino.Yale University Press 2007.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Boat-billed Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Boat-billed_Flycatcher
