Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes similis

Looks like a mini version of Boat-billed Flycatcher; in particular note Social’s small bill. Common in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in semi-open areas with trees and hedges, woodland edge, towns, gardens. Often noisy and ‘social’ (some of its calls suggest parakeets); usually found in pairs or small groups, often perching conspicuously. Eats a lot of berries, and often occurs alongside Boat-billed Flycatcher and Great Kiskadee in fruiting figs and other trees.

Identification

In appearance, the social flycatcher resembles a smaller boat-billed flycatcher or great kiskadee. The adult is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and weighs 24–27 g (0.85–0.95 oz). The head is dark grey with a strong white eyestripe and a usually concealed orange to vermilion crown stripe. The upperparts are olive-brown, and the wings and tail are brown with only faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow and the throat is white. Young birds have a paler eye mask, reduced crown stripe, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The call is a sharp peeurrr and the dawn song is a chips-k’-cheery.<p>As the specific epithet similis (Latin for "the similar one") indicates, this species looks much like its closest living relative the rusty-margined flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis), and also like the white-bearded flycatcher (Phelpsia inornatus), white-ringed flycatcher (Conopias albovittatus) and lesser kiskadee (Pitangus/Philohydor lictor). In fact, except at close range, these are all but indistinguishable from appearance alone. They and the two larger similar species mentioned above share much of their range. Though they all are apparently fairly close relatives, the group to which they seem to belong also includes species with rather different head-pattern, like the grey-capped flycatcher which also belongs to Myiozetetes.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Myiozetetes similis
Authority
(Spix, 1825)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Tyrannidae
Genus
Myiozetetes

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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