Flammulated Flycatcher

The Flammulated Flycatcher, Ramphotrigon flammulatum, is a modestly sized bird with a chunky body, measuring approximately 6 to 6.5 inches in length. It boasts olive to gray-brown upperparts and a head with a whitish supraloral stripe and crescent behind the eyes. Its throat is white, and the chest is pale gray with subtle dusky streaking. The belly and undertail coverts are a pale yellow, while the wings and tail are dark brown with pale cinnamon edges.

Identification Tips

Adults of both sexes share similar plumage. Look for the whitish throat and pale gray chest with faint streaking. The wings are well-rounded, approximately 3 inches long, and feature pale cinnamon-edged coverts and remiges. The tail is slightly rounded and marginally shorter than the wing, with a narrow band of pale cinnamon. The bill is black, broad, and triangular, and the legs are dark gray with large, curved claws.

Habitat

The Flammulated Flycatcher is endemic to the dry deciduous forest, arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland of Mexico’s Pacific coast, preferring elevations of about 1000–1400 meters above sea level.

Distribution

This species is found along the Pacific lowlands of Mexico's western coast from Sinaloa to western Chiapas and may extend into Guatemala. Its range is discontinuous, and it is typically found in low densities.

Behaviour

A skulking bird, the Flammulated Flycatcher often remains hidden in the underbrush. It may raise the feathers on its crown to form a crest when excited or during courtship, but unlike its relatives in the genus Myiarchus, it does not bob its head while displaying this crest.

Song & Calls

The song is a plaintive whistle followed by a quick roll, mostly heard from April to August during the breeding season. The flycatcher also emits a slurred "chew" call and a squeaky chatter. Males perform a dawn song each morning, alternating between "chee-bee beet" and "churr-r-r-bee bee."

Breeding

Breeding occurs around June. The female lays three creamy to pinkish eggs with brown and gray splotches in a cup-shaped nest made of fine vegetable fibers, dried leaves, and shredded bark, located in a shallow tree cavity close to the ground.

Similar Species

While similar in some aspects to the Myiarchus flycatchers, the Flammulated Flycatcher can be distinguished by its nesting habits and lack of snakeskin in its nest construction.

Diet and Feeding

The Flammulated Flycatcher gleans insects from leaves and twigs, often perching on an open branch to spot prey before flying out to capture it with a brief hover.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Flammulated Flycatcher as Least Concern due to its large range and estimated population of over 10,000 individuals. However, precise population numbers and trends are currently unknown.