Golden-bellied Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Myiodynastes hemichrysus, is a passerine
bird
in the tyrant flycatcher
family. It is an endemic resident breeder in Costa Rica
and western Panama
.
This species is found in the canopy and at the edges of wet, epiphyte
-draped mountain forests, especially near streams or clearings. It occurs at middle elevations, typically between 700 to 1850 m altitude, locally to 2300 m in the south of its restricted range.
The nest is a shallow open cup placed in a tree hollow
, old woodpecker
nest, or clump of epiphytes, or a vegetation-covered vertical bank. The female lays a typical clutch of three pinkish eggs, which are marked with red-brown spots.
The Golden-bellied Flycatcher is 20 cm long, weighs 41g and has a black bill. Its crown is grey with a concealed yellow patch, and it has a black eyemask. The upperparts are dark olive, and the wings and tail are brown with faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow and the throat is white with dark stripes down each side which distinguish it from similar species like Social
or Gray-capped Flycatchers. Young birds have paler yellow underparts, browner upperparts, no crown stripe, and more obvious chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers.
The call of the Golden-bellied Flycatcher is a squeaky seeeik and the dawn song is a melodious repeated tre-le-loo.
Golden-bellied Flycatchers typically perch on a high watchpoint from which to sally forth and catch flying insects, but they eat a range other food items, including berries
.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
family. It is an endemic resident breeder in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and western Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
This species is found in the canopy and at the edges of wet, epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
-draped mountain forests, especially near streams or clearings. It occurs at middle elevations, typically between 700 to 1850 m altitude, locally to 2300 m in the south of its restricted range.
The nest is a shallow open cup placed in a tree hollow
Tree hollow
A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. These are predominantly found in old trees, whether living or not...
, old woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
nest, or clump of epiphytes, or a vegetation-covered vertical bank. The female lays a typical clutch of three pinkish eggs, which are marked with red-brown spots.
The Golden-bellied Flycatcher is 20 cm long, weighs 41g and has a black bill. Its crown is grey with a concealed yellow patch, and it has a black eyemask. The upperparts are dark olive, and the wings and tail are brown with faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow and the throat is white with dark stripes down each side which distinguish it from similar species like Social
Social Flycatcher
The Social Flycatcher and Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher are passerine birds from the Americas, a member of the large tyrant flycatcher family ....
or Gray-capped Flycatchers. Young birds have paler yellow underparts, browner upperparts, no crown stripe, and more obvious chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers.
The call of the Golden-bellied Flycatcher is a squeaky seeeik and the dawn song is a melodious repeated tre-le-loo.
Golden-bellied Flycatchers typically perch on a high watchpoint from which to sally forth and catch flying insects, but they eat a range other food items, including berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
.