Grey-capped Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Grey-capped Flycatcher, Myiozetetes granadensis, is a passerine
bird
, a member of the large tyrant flycatcher
family.
It breeds in cultivation, pasture, and open woodland with some trees from eastern Honduras
south to northwestern Peru
, northern Bolivia
and western Brazil
The nest, built by the female in a bush, tree or on a building, is a large roofed structure of stems and straw, which for protection is often built near a wasp
, bee
or ant
nest, or the nest of another tyrant flycatcher, such as the similar Social Flycatcher
, Myiozetetes similis. The nest site is often near or over water. The typical clutch is two to four brown or lilac-blotched dull white eggs, laid between February and June.
In appearance the Grey-capped Flycatcher resembles the Social Flycatcher, which shares much of its range. The adult Grey-capped Flycatcher is 16.5-18 cm long and weighs 26-30 g. The head is grey with a short weak eyestripe and, in the male, a concealed 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 no crown stripe, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The best distinction from the Social Flycatcher is the latter’s strong black-and white head pattern.
The call is a sharp nasal kip and the dawn song is a kip, kip, kip, k’beer.
Grey-capped Flycatchers sally out from an open perch in a tree to catch insect
s in flight. They sometimes hover to take small 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...
, a member of the large 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 breeds in cultivation, pasture, and open woodland with some trees from eastern Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
south to northwestern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, northern Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and western Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
The nest, built by the female in a bush, tree or on a building, is a large roofed structure of stems and straw, which for protection is often built near a wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
, bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
or ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
nest, or the nest of another tyrant flycatcher, such as the similar Social Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
The Social Flycatcher and Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher are passerine birds from the Americas, a member of the large tyrant flycatcher family ....
, Myiozetetes similis. The nest site is often near or over water. The typical clutch is two to four brown or lilac-blotched dull white eggs, laid between February and June.
In appearance the Grey-capped Flycatcher resembles the Social Flycatcher, which shares much of its range. The adult Grey-capped Flycatcher is 16.5-18 cm long and weighs 26-30 g. The head is grey with a short weak eyestripe and, in the male, a concealed 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 no crown stripe, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The best distinction from the Social Flycatcher is the latter’s strong black-and white head pattern.
The call is a sharp nasal kip and the dawn song is a kip, kip, kip, k’beer.
Grey-capped Flycatchers sally out from an open perch in a tree to catch insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in flight. They sometimes hover to take small 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....
.