| Mistletoe tyrannulet | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Zimmerius |
| Species: | Z. parvus |
| Binomial name | |
| Zimmerius parvus (Lawrence, 1862) | |
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The mistletoe tyrannulet (Zimmerius parvus) is a very small bird, a passerine in family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
The mistletoe tyrannulet was described in 1862 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence under the binomial name Tyranniscus parvus. [2] It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Guatemalan tyrannulet (Zimmerius vilissimus), but the species were split based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013. [3] [4]
The mistletoe tyrannulet is a small bird, 11 – 12 cm in length as an adult. Adults have a slaty cap, a bright white supercilium ("eyebrow"), an olive-green back and conspicuous yellow edging along the wing. [5]
The mistletoe tyrannulet ranges from Guatemala and Honduras south to the extremity of northwestern Colombia. It can be found in humid evergreen forest and edge, cultivation and semi-open areas with large trees. It is a fairly common to common bird across its range.
This species is a very frequent caller, incessantly giving a call that has been rendered variously as peeyaik, pee-peeu or pee-yuip and sounds similar to that of the thick-billed euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris), another mistletoe-loving species.
The mistletoe tyrannulet's nest is a globular mass of rootlets, mosses and other plant matter, hidden in a tangle or growth or in an epiphyte. The clutch is two whitish eggs, speckled rusty. [6]
The mistletoe tyrannulet is an active forager, moving quickly about with its tail cocked as it searches for prey, mainly arthropods, amidst the foliage. It can be found as a member of a mixed-species feeding flock. [7] The bird also takes fruit, preferentially that of mistletoes (order Santalales).
The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and Canada. The members vary greatly in shape, patterns, size and colors. Some tyrant flycatchers may superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, which they are named after but are not closely related to. They are members of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), which do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.
The Guatemalan tyrannulet or paltry tyrannulet is a very small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It occurs in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and southern Belize.
The mountain elaenia is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in highlands from Guatemala to Colombia and western Venezuela. The scientific name celebrates the German physician and naturalist, Alexander von Frantzius.
The flammulated flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Deltarhynchus but was moved to the genus Ramphotrigon based on genetic analysis. It is endemic to the dry deciduous forest, arid thorn forest, and scrubby woodland of Mexico’s Pacific coast. The flycatcher is an olive to gray-brown bird with a streaked, pale gray chest, white throat, black bill, dark gray feet, and dark brown wings. It is a skulking bird that typically remains hidden in the underbrush. It feeds by gleaning insects off of leaves and twigs that it spots from an exposed perch. The female lays approximately three eggs in a nest made in a shallow tree cavity.
The scrub euphonia is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae.
The southern mouse-colored tyrannulet is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It occurs in a wide range of scrubby and wooded habitats in tropical and subtropical South America, being absent from the southernmost part of the continent, the high Andes and dense rainforest. It is generally common, but its small size and dull plumage results in it often being overlooked – or at least not identified, as it resembles several other tyrant flycatchers.
Nesotriccus is a genus of Central and South American birds in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae.
Phyllomyias is a genus of small birds in the tyrant-flycatcher family Tyrannidae. They are found in wooded habitats of Central and South America. Some species are among the commonest birds in their range, while other are rare and threatened. They have a short, stubby bill, are greenish above, yellowish or whitish below, and all except the sooty-headed tyrannulet have pale wing-bars or edging. They feed on small arthropods and fruits. Most species regularly take part in mixed species flocks.
Phylloscartes is a genus of small birds in the family Tyrannidae. They are found in wooded habitats of Central and South America. They mainly feed on small arthropods, and most commonly take part in mixed species flocks. The mottled-cheeked tyrannulet is among the commonest birds in its range, but several other species are rare and threatened. Their plumage is predominantly green, yellow, white and grey, and many have contrasting facial patterns and wing-bars. They have thin, pointed bills, and relatively long tails. Most frequently cock their tail, perch relatively horizontally and are very active.
Zimmerius is a genus of Neotropical birds in the family Tyrannidae.
The slender-footed tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in humid forests of the west Amazon Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Until recently, it included the Guianan tyrannulet as a subspecies.
The Venezuelan tyrannulet is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in northern Venezuela.
The Peruvian tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. As traditionally defined, it is endemic to Peru, but recent genetic evidence suggests it should include the taxon flavidifrons as a subspecies, in which case the range of the Peruvian tyrannulet extends into far southern Ecuador. Alternatively, flavidifrons is sometimes considered a separate species, the Loja tyrannulet, but it is not closely related to the golden-faced tyrannulet as previously believed.
The Guianan tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in forests in the east Amazon Basin and northeastern Brazil. Until recently, it was considered a subspecies of the slender-footed tyrannulet.
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.
The Tumbesian tyrannulet or Tumbes tyrannulet is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It occurs in desert scrub and wooded habitats in southwest Ecuador and northwest Peru. Within its restricted range it is fairly common, but its small size and dull plumage results in it often being overlooked – or at least not identified, as it resembles several other tyrant flycatchers. The common name is from the city of Tumbes in northwest Peru.
The white-fronted tyrannulet is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
Chico's tyrannulet is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to the area of Rio Madeirinha in Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The spectacled tyrannulet, also known as specious tyrannulet or mountain tyrannulet, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It occurs in Venezuela and Colombia.
The northern mouse-colored tyrannulet is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It occurs in a wide range of scrubby and wooded habitats in tropical and subtropical northern South America, being absent from the high Andes and dense rainforest. It also occurs in Panama and Costa Rica. It is generally common, but its small size and dull plumage results in it often being overlooked – or at least not identified, as it resembles several other tyrant flycatchers.
Howell, N.G.; Webb, Sophie (2017). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico & Northern Central America.
Ridgeley, Robert J.; Gwynne, John A. Jr. (1989). A Guide to the Birds of Panama.
