Mouse-gray Flycatcher
Myiophobus crypterythrus
Small, dull-colored flycatcher fond of lightly wooded areas, dry savanna, and forest edge. Its brownish-gray plumage, streaky breast, and buffy wingbars separate it from other similar species. Song is a quick “swee-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…”; also gives a series of well-spaced whistles. Usually seen alone or in pairs, often sitting quietly on a low perch. Note its restricted range in far southwestern Colombia, western Ecuador, and northwestern Peru (mostly west of the Andes, but also in the Marañón Valley). Formerly considered a subspecies of Bran-colored Flycatcher.
Identification
The Mouse-gray flycatcher is a small brownish-grey bird weighing 9.9g. It has a brown back, neck, and crown with a pale belly, throat, and supercilium and greyish-brown breast streaks and cheek. It's wings and tail are a darker brown with the coverts, the sides of the secondaries and tertials, and the tips of the primaries being a rufous color that varies from being a subtle tinge to a very bold ochre. It can be told from the Bran-colored by its darker sepia brown back and paler and more obvious supercilium. The related Rufescent flycatcher is easily differentiated by its rufous unstreaked belly and breast.
Taxonomy
The Mouse-gray flycatcher was originally described by English ornithologist Philip Sclater in 1861 from a specimen sent to him from Pallatanga, Ecuador. Sclater originally placed it in the genus Myiobius, but it was later placed in Myiophobus. Its specific epithet crypterythrus comes from the Greek crypto meaning hidden, and erythrus meaning reddish, a reference to its subtle reddish wing bars that aren't obviously apparent at first glance. Sclater noted its similarity to the Bran-colored flycatcher (then under the name Myiobius naevius) but identified its difference in size and morphology. It was later considered to be a subspecies of the Bran-colored flycatcher by Carl Eduard Hellmayr under the name Myiophobus fasciatus crypterythrus. Some publications used the name Western Banded Flycatcher for the subspecies during the 20th century. Although its distinct appearance was apparent, some believed that it didn't even warrant a subspecies, with Zimmer considering it conspecific with M. f. rufescens due to a confusing female specimen from where the ranges overlap. In 2023 a proposal to the South American Classification Committee by J.I. Areta and T.S. Schulenberg to split the subspecies M. f. crypterythrus and M. f. rusfescens from the Bran-colored flycatcher was approved unanimously, leading to the split of the Mouse-gray and Rufescent flycatchers as new species.
- Scientific name
- Myiophobus crypterythrus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1861)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Myiophobus
Range and habitat
It has a rather restricted range compared to its relatives, being found from extreme southwestern Colombia, Ecuador west of the Andes into Peru reaching its southern terminus in La Libertad Department.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Blue-fronted Flycatcher
Eumyias hoevelli
Male shows an entirely blue hood, an olive back, and rufous underparts, including the belly. Female lacks the blue hood. Juvenile is brown and speckled all over. Singles and pairs inhabit the understory of mountain forest, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Confined to Sulawesi. Blue throat of male separates it from Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher. Brown back and rufous belly of female distinguishes her from Sulawesi Blue, Snowy-browed, and Rufous-throated Flycatchers. Frequently sings a thrush-like, melodious warble, medium in pitch, with an abrupt end.
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Unique, chunky finch. Note the massive bill (steely gray in summer, pinkish in winter) and blue-gray hindneck, like a shawl on an orangey head. Broad white tail tip and white wing band show mainly in flight. Despite distinctive appearance, shy and easily overlooked. Favors mixed and deciduous mature woodland, especially with beech, oak, and hornbeam, where tends to feed and perch quietly, high in the canopy. Also feeds on the ground in autumn and winter, sometimes forming single-species flocks. Gives high-pitched “tsik!” and lower ticking calls.
Grassland Yellow-Finch
Sicalis luteola
Small yellowish bird, very local in tropical savannas and open grassland with scattered bushes and palmetto shrubs. Usually in groups, sometimes in fairly big flocks. Feeds mainly in grasses, eating seeds, and comes to drink at small pools; often perches on roadside fences. Note the rather stubby gray bill, yellow face and underparts, and streaked back. There are no especially similar species in Mexico and Central America, but several in South America.
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