- Serpophaga cinerea
Identification
A small (11.5cm, 4.5"), mostly grey flycatcher always associated with water. Dark head, wings and tail, light grey body with whitish underparts. Easily identified when habitat is taken into account.
Distribution
Costa Rica to western Panama and disjointly from Colombia to northwestern Venezuela and northern Bolivia.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized:
- cinerea from South America
- grisea from Central America
Habitat
Rushing rivers and streams. Occasionally ranges into nearby wet pastures or gravel roads. The southern subspecies are in Andes mountains between 700 and 3100m.
Behaviour
Usually in pairs, foraging along banks on on rocks in the middle of streams, occasionally sallying for insects in the air.
It builds a cup nest, lined with feathers and covered with moss on the outside, on a branch up to 4 m high over water, or on a rocky shore. 2 unmarked pale buff or whitish eggs are laid.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Photo © by Andy Adcock
Between Orosi and Tapanti, Costa Rica, April 8, 2017
References
- 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.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Torrent Tyrannulet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Torrent_Tyrannulet
