Ash-throated Flycatcher
Myiarchus cinerascens
Fairly large flycatcher of arid habitats. Extremely similar to other Myiarchus flycatchers and most easily identified by voice: listen for low, rough calls and flat “pip.” Also note overall pale appearance, especially the whitish throat and very pale yellow belly. Compare with the nearly identical Nutting’s Flycatcher (especially in Mexico) and larger-billed Brown-crested Flycatcher. Fairly common but unobtrusive in brushy woodlands and thickets in dry regions of western U.S. and Mexico, as far south as Honduras.
Identification
The ash-throated flycatcher is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher, measuring 7.5 to 8.6 in (19 to 22 cm) in length with a wingspan of 11.8 to 12.6 in (30 to 32 cm) and a mass of 0.7 to 1.3 oz (20 to 37 g). Overall, it is slim and long-tailed, with a slightly peaked crest on its relatively large head. The upperparts are olive brown, with a darker head and short crest. The breast is gray and the belly is a very pale yellow. The brown tail feathers and wings have rufous outer webs, and there are two dull wing bars. The sexes are similar.
Taxonomy
First described in 1851 by George Newbold Lawrence from a specimen collected in western Texas in the United States, the ash-throated flycatcher was initially given the scientific name Tyrannula cinerascens. The species was mistakenly described again in 1851 as Tyrannula mexicanus — an error that was corrected in 1859 when Philip Lutley Sclater analyzed the tyrant flycatchers known from Mexico and realized that both scientific names referred to the same species. During the same analysis, Slater moved the ash-throated flycatcher from the genus Tyrannula to its current genus, Myiarchus. In the past, the ash-throated flycatcher has sometimes been considered to be conspecific with Nutting's flycatcher, but there are morphological and vocal differences between the two. There is disagreement as to whether the two species hybridize.<p>The ash-throated flycatcher has two recognized subspecies:<p>The genus name Myiarchus is a compound word created from the Greek words muia (μυια), meaning "fly" and arkos (αρχος) meaning "ruler" or "chief". The species epithet cinerascens is a Latin word meaning "ashen".
- Scientific name
- Myiarchus cinerascens
- Authority
- (Lawrence, 1851)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Myiarchus
Range and habitat
It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant, retreating from most of the U.S. and northern and central Mexico, spending the winter from southern Mexico to Honduras. This bird is also prone to wander, with single birds often seen outside its normal breeding range as far away as the east coast of North America.
- Breeding range
- NA, MA : sw USA and n Mexico
- Non-breeding range
- MA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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