Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Terenotriccus erythrurus, is a small passerine
bird
in the tyrant flycatcher
family. It breeds in lowlands from southeastern Mexico
to northern Bolivia
, north-central Brazil
and the Guianas. This flycatcher ranges east of the Andes cordillera into the entire Amazon Basin
of northern Brazil and the Guianas; to the west of the Andes in Colombia
and Ecuador
into Central America
. It is the only member of the genus
Terenotriccus, but some authorities place it in genus Myiobius
. However, it differs in voice, behaviour, and structure from members of that group.
This tiny flycatcher breeds from sea level to 1000 m altitude, locally to 1200 m, in wet mountain forests and in adjacent tall second growth. The nest is a pear-shaped pouch of plant fibres and leaves with a visored side entrance, built by the female 2-6 m high in the undergrowth and suspended from a twig or vine. The two chocolate-blotched white eggs are incubated by the female for 15-16 days to hatching, the male playing no part in the care of the eggs or young.
The Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher is 9-10.2 cm long and weighs 7 g. The upperparts are grey-olive, with a rufous rump, tail, wings and eye ring. The throat is buff and the breast is cinnamon, becoming pale buff on the belly. Sexes are similar, but young birds are brighter above and have a browner tail and breast.
The Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher is mainly solitary, and only occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flock
s. It feeds on insect
s, especially leafhopper
s, picked from foliage or taken in acrobatic aerial pursuit.
This species has a see-oo see call, and a repetitive eek eek eek eek eek song. It sometimes flicks both wings up to make a faint whirring sound.
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 breeds in lowlands from southeastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to 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...
, north-central 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...
and the Guianas. This flycatcher ranges east of the Andes cordillera into the entire Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
of northern Brazil and the Guianas; to the west of the Andes in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
into Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. It is the only member of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Terenotriccus, but some authorities place it in genus Myiobius
Myiobius
Myiobius is a genus of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It contains the following species:* Tawny-breasted Myiobius * Whiskered Myiobius * Sulphur-rumped Myiobius...
. However, it differs in voice, behaviour, and structure from members of that group.
This tiny flycatcher breeds from sea level to 1000 m altitude, locally to 1200 m, in wet mountain forests and in adjacent tall second growth. The nest is a pear-shaped pouch of plant fibres and leaves with a visored side entrance, built by the female 2-6 m high in the undergrowth and suspended from a twig or vine. The two chocolate-blotched white eggs are incubated by the female for 15-16 days to hatching, the male playing no part in the care of the eggs or young.
The Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher is 9-10.2 cm long and weighs 7 g. The upperparts are grey-olive, with a rufous rump, tail, wings and eye ring. The throat is buff and the breast is cinnamon, becoming pale buff on the belly. Sexes are similar, but young birds are brighter above and have a browner tail and breast.
The Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher is mainly solitary, and only occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s. It feeds on 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, especially leafhopper
Leafhopper
Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. Leafhoppers, colloquially known as hoppers, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily Membracoidea in the order Hemiptera...
s, picked from foliage or taken in acrobatic aerial pursuit.
This species has a see-oo see call, and a repetitive eek eek eek eek eek song. It sometimes flicks both wings up to make a faint whirring sound.