Cliff Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Stanley Jones
Photo taken Cordillera Escalera, northeast of Tarapoto, Amazonas Department, Peru,Nov., 2013

Hirundinea ferruginea

Includes Swallow Flycatcher

Identification

Brown upperparts
Paler brown underparts
Cinnamon rufous-rump and base of the tail

Distribution

This is a widespread tropical flycatcher of South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Swallow Flycatcher
Photo by Aracari
Monte Verde, MG, Brazil, January 2007

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 4 subspecies^[1]:

H. f. sclateri:

Eastern Andes of Colombia to western Venezuela and eastern Peru (south to Cuzco)

H. f. ferruginea:

Extreme eastern Colombia to south-eastern Venezuela, the Guianas and north-western Brazil

H. f. bellicosa:

Southern and eastern Brazil to eastern Paraguay, Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina

H. f. pallidior:

Northern and eastern Bolivia to western Paraguay and north-western Argentina

Bellicosa is sometimes accepted as full species, Swallow Flycatcher.

Habitat

Cliffs, rocks, canyons, forests,

Behaviour

Photo by jocateme
Itatiaia National Park, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, January 2008

Diet

The diet includes insects which are hawked aerially.

Breeding

It nests on cliffs and buildings.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
BirdLife International
Arthur Grosset

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cliff Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cliff_Flycatcher

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