Yellow Tyrannulet
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Tyrannulet, Capsiempis flaveola, is a very small passerine
bird
in the tyrant flycatcher
family. It breeds from Nicaragua
south to northeastern Argentina
and southeastern Brazil
. It is the only member of the genus Capsiempis, but its taxonomy is uncertain, and it has been allocated to at least three other genera in the past.
This species is found in thickets, forest and streamside edges, dense second growth, and bushy pastures or clearings. The cup nest is made of plant fibre and grass blades, decorated outside with moss. It is placed 2–7 m high in a tree, shrub, or maize
plant. The typical clutch is two white eggs, usually umarked or with very light rufous speckles.
The Yellow Tyrannulet is 10.5-11.4 cm long, weighs 8 g, and with its slender build and small bill resembles a tiny vireo
or warbler
. Its upperparts are olive-green and the underparts are bright yellow. The head has whitish or pale yellow supercilia
. The wings and tail are dusky brown with weak yellow feather-edging, and there are two yellowish wing bars. Sexes are similar, but young birds are browner above and paler yellow below. The call is a soft pewik and the duetted song is a rhythmic pee-tic-keek. There is some geographical variation in both appearance and vocalisation,
Yellow Tyrannulets are active birds, seen in pairs or family groups feeding on insect
s, spider
s and small berries
. The prey is gleaned
from foliage or taken in short sallies.
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 from Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
south to northeastern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and southeastern 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...
. It is the only member of the genus Capsiempis, but its taxonomy is uncertain, and it has been allocated to at least three other genera in the past.
This species is found in thickets, forest and streamside edges, dense second growth, and bushy pastures or clearings. The cup nest is made of plant fibre and grass blades, decorated outside with moss. It is placed 2–7 m high in a tree, shrub, or maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
plant. The typical clutch is two white eggs, usually umarked or with very light rufous speckles.
The Yellow Tyrannulet is 10.5-11.4 cm long, weighs 8 g, and with its slender build and small bill resembles a tiny vireo
Vireo
The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are typically dull-plumaged and greenish in color, the smaller species resembling wood warblers apart from their heavier bills...
or warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
. Its upperparts are olive-green and the underparts are bright yellow. The head has whitish or pale yellow supercilia
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
. The wings and tail are dusky brown with weak yellow feather-edging, and there are two yellowish wing bars. Sexes are similar, but young birds are browner above and paler yellow below. The call is a soft pewik and the duetted song is a rhythmic pee-tic-keek. There is some geographical variation in both appearance and vocalisation,
Yellow Tyrannulets are active birds, seen in pairs or family groups feeding 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, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s and 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....
. The prey is gleaned
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
from foliage or taken in short sallies.
External links
- Yellow Tyrannulet photos on antpitta.com