| Guatemalan tyrannulet | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Zimmerius |
| Species: | Z. vilissimus |
| Binomial name | |
| Zimmerius vilissimus (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1859) | |
 | |
The Guatemalan tyrannulet, or paltry tyrannulet, (Zimmerius vilissimus) is a very small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. [2]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet was originally described as Elainia vilissima. [3] During much of the twentieth century it and several other tyrannulets were placed in genus Tyranniscus but a study published in 1977 erected the present genus Zimmerius for them. [4] [5]
Zimmerius vilissimus was previously called the paltry tyrannulet and included as subspecies what are now the mistletoe tyrannulet (Z. parvus), spectacled tyrannulet (Z. improbus), and Venezuelan tyrannulet (Z. petersi). Taxonomic systems began separating them in 2004 but it took until 2020 for all to complete the change. Most systems adopted the common name Guatemalan tyrannulet for Z. vilissimus sensu stricto to avoid confusion with the previous multi-subspecies paltry tyrannulet but as of late 2024 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retained the old "paltry" name. [6] [2] [4] [7] [8] [9]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a grayish crown and a short whitish supercilium. Their upperparts are olive green. Their wings and tail are mostly olive green with yellow edges on the wing coverts, flight feathers, and tail feathers. Their underparts are mostly off-white with faint darker streaks on the breast and sometimes a pale yellow wash on the belly and undertail coverts. Both sexes have a light brown or brownish black iris, a short brownish black bill, and long brownish black legs and feet. Immature birds have dark irides and more green in their crown than adults. [10] [11] [12]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet is found from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas east across Guatemala into southern Belize and south through Guatemala into El Salvador. It inhabits the interior and edges evergreen forest and also more open forest, plantations, and fields with scattered trees and shrubs. It favors areas with mistletoes (Loranthaceae). In elevation it ranges between 500 and 2,500 m (1,600 and 8,200 ft). [10] [11] [12] [9]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet is generally a year-round resident but at least some individuals move to lower elevations after breeding. [10] [9]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet's diet has not been detailed but is known to include mistletoe berries, other fruits, and insects. It forages singly or in pairs, at all levels of the forest but mostly from the forest mid-story to the canopy. It takes food by gleaning while perched and with short sallies. [10]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet's breeding biology is not known in detail but is assumed to be similar to that of its former congener the mistletoe tyrannulet. That female of that species builds an oval nest with a side entrance from mosses and plant fibers bound with spider web and lined with seed down. It is typically placed about 2 to 15 m (5 to 50 ft) above the ground in a mass of moss or lichen hanging from a tree branch. Its clutch is two eggs and only the female incubates. The incubation period is 16 to 17 days and fledging occurs 18 to 20 days after hatch. [10] [13]
The Guatemalan tyrannulet's call is "a clear, slightly ringing to plaintive peeu or pyeu". [10] It is assumed to have a dawn song like that of the mistletoe tyrannulet's, which is "a series of notes, the first a slow, dropping syllable and the rest short and rising...yer-de-dee, often followed by a trill". [10] [13]
The IUCN has assessed the Guatemalan tyrannulet as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] It is "common in a wide variety of habitats, including highly modified habitats around farms and towns, and is expected to be stable in human-modified areas". [10]
The mistletoe tyrannulet a very small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found from Guatemala and Belize to Colombia.
The fulvous-crowned scrub tyrant, or tawny-crowned pygmy-tyrant, is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The buff-banded tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
The white-throated tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The southern mouse-colored tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and possibly French Guiana and Suriname.
The rough-legged tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The ashy-headed tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Sclater's tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
The tawny-rumped tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and possibly Argentina.
The greenish tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The grey-and-white tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The lesser wagtail-tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Venezuelan tyrannulet is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The Choco tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in forests in the Chocó of south-western Colombia and western Ecuador. It was previously treated as a conspecific with the golden-faced tyrannulet but the species were split based on the molecular and vocal differences. It is restricted to a region with extensive habitat destruction but it is generally fairly common and therefore unlikely to be seriously threatened.
Straneck's tyrannulet, also known as the monte tyrannulet and grey-crowned tyrannulet, is a small species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The Tumbesian tyrannulet or Tumbes tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The white-fronted tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
The spectacled tyrannulet, also known as the specious tyrannulet, mountain tyrannulet, and Venezuelan tyrannulet, is a small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The northern mouse-colored tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Trinidad, Venezuela, and possibly Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname.
The Maranon tyrannulet or Marañon tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
