Brujo flycatcher

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Brujo flycatcher
Flycatcher1.jpg
Male
Pyrocephalus nanus, female, Galapagos Islands.jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Pyrocephalus
Species:
P. nanus
Binomial name
Pyrocephalus nanus
Gould, 1838
Pyrocephalus nanus map.svg
Synonyms
  • Pyrocephalus carolensisRidgway, 1894
  • Pyrocephalus intercedensRidgway, 1894
  • Pyrocephalus abingdoniRidgway, 1894
  • Pyrocephalus nanus nanusSnodgrass & Heller, 1904
  • Pyrocephalus nanus abingdoniSnodgrass & Heller, 1904
  • Pyrocephalus rubinus nanus(Gould, 1839)

The brujo flycatcher (Pyrocephalus nanus) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is also known as the Darwin's flycatcher [2] and little vermilion flycatcher. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

The brujo flycatcher was formally described in 1838 as Pyrocephalus nanus by the English ornithologist John Gould. Gould based his description on specimens collected by Charles Darwin in 1835 when Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands on HMS Beagle. [4] Gould did not specify from which island the specimens had been obtained, but in 1894 the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway designated the locality as James Island (now Santiago Island). [5] [6] The specific epithet nanus is Latin meaning "dwarf". [7] The common name "brujo" is Spanish meaning "witch" or "sorcerer". [8]

Two subspecies are recognised: [9]

After many taxonomic changes it was generally recognized as a subspecies of the widespread vermilion flycatcher (P. rubinus sensu lato ). A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016 suggested that it be treated as a full species. [10] BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) recognized the split in 2016. [11] The IOC followed suit in January 2017, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society in 2020, the Clements taxonomy in 2021, and the AOS North American Classification Committee in 2022. [12] [13] [14] [15]

Description

The brujo flycatcher is about 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 11 to 14 g (0.39 to 0.49 oz). Adult males have a bright vermilion, scarlet, or orange forehead and crown down to the eye. Their lores and ear coverts are blackish brown and form a "mask" that continues around their nape. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are blackish brown, with slightly paler remiges and wing coverts. The lower part of their face, their throat, and their underparts are the same shade of red as their crown. Adult females have a grayish brown head with an indistinct grayish supercilium. Their back, rump, wings, and tail are grayish brown that is darkest on the tail. Their throat is whitish. Their underparts progress from pale red on the breast to salmon on the undertail coverts, with thin gray streaks on the breast, sides, and flanks. Both sexes have a dark brown iris, a brownish black bill, and black to brownish black legs and feet. [16]

Distribution and habitat

The brujo flycatcher is found on the major islands of Ecuador's Galápagos archipelago with the exception of San Cristóbal. [1] [16] It inhabits the interior and edges of somewhat humid forest in the highlands. Typical forest species are of genera Scalesia , Tournefortia , and Zanthoxylum . [1]

Behavior

Movement

The brujo flycatcher is a year-round resident. [1]

Feeding

The brujo flycatcher feeds mostly on flying and terrestrial insects and also includes other arthropods in its diet, though details are lacking. It sits on an exposed perch and chases or pounces on prey from it. [16]

Breeding

The brujo flycatcher breeds between December and May, the rainy season. Its nest is a cup made from moss and lichens placed in a tree or shrub. Its clutch is three eggs. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology. [1]

Vocalization

As of April 2025 xeno-canto had seven recordings of the brujo flycatcher vocalizations and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had 10 with no overlap between them. [17] The species sings during an undulating circular flight display, with the song described as "loudly whispering chew wit" followed by a "sharp mechanical snap". Perched birds give a similar chew wit and also "a sharp pew note". [18]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the brujo flycatcher as Near Threatened. It has a limited range. Its "best estimate" population is 52,000 mature individuals with a possible range of 36,000 to 72,000. It is possibly extirpated from Floreana and Santa Fe islands. The species is "in serious decline" on Santa Cruz. [1] "[T]hreats include competition from non-native birds like the smooth-billed ani [Crotophaga ani], and parasitisation from the larvae of the introduced parasitic fly, Philornis downsi . The Galapagos Conservation Trust "is currently supporting partners in their efforts to restore Floreana island to its former ecological glory, with the long-term goal of reintroducing locally extinct species such as the little vermilion flycatcher." [19] In May 2023 conservation experts reported that 12 new chicks had been born that year on Santa Cruz. There were only 15 breeding pairs. The reserve's director Danny Rueda said that each chick that is born was a "new hope to save this species", adding "These 12 new birds constitute a veritable success since initiating the program in 2018 and finally getting results". [20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 BirdLife International. (2023). "Little Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus nanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023 e.T103682926A172654604. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T103682926A172654604.en . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  2. ↑ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 23, 2024
  3. ↑ HBW and BirdLife International (2024). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 9. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/about-our-science/taxonomy retrieved December 23, 2024
  4. ↑ Gould, John (1841). Darwin, Charles (ed.). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, Part III. Birds. London: Smith, Elder and Company (published 1838). pp. 45–46, Plate 7. Gould's work was published between 1838 and 1841 in 5 sections. For the publication dates see: Steinheimer, F.; Dickinson, E.C.; Walters, M.P. (2006). "The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, Part III. Birds. New avian names, their authorship and the dates". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 126 (2): 171-193 [184].
  5. ↑ Traylor, Melvin A. Jr, ed. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 150–151.
  6. ↑ Ridgway, Robert (1894). "Descriptions of twenty-two need species of birds from the Galapagos Islands". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 17: 357-370 [365].
  7. ↑ Jobling, James A. "nanus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  8. ↑ Jaramillo, Alvaro (2016). "Proposal 911: Establish English names for Pyrocephalus flycatchers". South American Classification Committee, American Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  9. ↑ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi: 10.2173/avilist.v2025 . Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Carmi, O.; Witt, C.C.; Jaramillo, A.; Dumbacher, J.P. (2016). "Phylogeography of the Vermilion Flycatcher species complex: Multiple speciation events, shifts in migratory behavior, and an apparent extinction of a Galápagos-endemic bird species". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 152–173. Bibcode:2016MolPE.102..152C. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.029 . PMID   27233443.
  11. ↑ BirdLife International (2016) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 9. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/BirdLife_Checklist_Version_90.zip
  12. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (January 2017). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List. v 7.1. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ Jaramillo, Alvaro (July 28, 2020). "Split Pyrocephalus (rubinus) nanus group as a separate species from mainland P. rubinus". Recent Changes. South American Classification Committee. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved August 30, 2021
  15. ↑ R. Terry Chesser, Shawn M. Billerman, Kevin J. Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Blanca E. Hernández-Baños, Rosa Alicia Jiménez, Andrew W. Kratter, Nicholas A. Mason, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Sixty-third supplement to the American Ornithological Society s Check-list of North American Birds". American Ornithology 2022, vol. 139:1-13 retrieved August 9, 2022
  16. 1 2 3 Ellison, K., B. O. Wolf, and S. L. Jones (2021). Brujo Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus nanus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brufly1.01 retrieved April 16, 2025
  17. ↑ "Brujo Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus nanus". Macaulay Library. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ Debenedictis, P. (1966). "The flight song display of two taxa of Vermilion Flycatcher, genus Pyrocelphalus" (PDF). Condor. 68: 306–307. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Vermilion Flycatcher". Galapagos Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  20. ↑ Elton, Charlotte (12 May 2023). "'New hope': Tiny Galápagos island birds make promising comeback". euronews.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
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