<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='360525'>Black-tailed Flycatcher
Open Bird Bucket List ↗
En bref
- Scientific Name: Myiobius atricaudus
- Spanish Name: Atrapamoscas colinegro
- Family: Onychorhynchidae
- Known Nicknames: Black-tailed Myiobius
- Average Length: 12–13 cm / 4.7–5.1 in
- Average Weight: 10–12 g / 0.35–0.42 oz
- Wingspan: 18–20 cm / 7.1–7.9 in
- Key Feature: Black tail contrasting with olive-brown upperparts and pale yellow belly
- Régime alimentaire principal : Insectivore
- Range: Costa Rica to western Ecuador and northwestern Peru
- Habitat: Lowland and foothill tropical rainforest, forest edges, and secondary growth
- Structure sociale : Solitaires ou en couples
- Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest in a tree fork or on a horizontal branch
- Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
- Évolution démographique : Stable
The Black-tailed Flycatcher (*Myiobius atricaudus*) is a striking passerine bird of Central and South American lowland forests, renowned for its vivid plumage and acrobatic foraging style. Its general appearance features a bright yellow belly and rump, a grayish-olive back, and a sooty-black tail that gives it its name, while a subtle, pale yellow crown stripe often lies hidden beneath its feathers. Uniquely, this flycatcher possesses a specialized, flattened bill with stiff rictal bristles at its base, acting like a net to snatch insects mid-air during its characteristic sallying flights from a perch. A special feature is its preference for nesting near aggressive wasp colonies, a brilliant survival strategy that deters predators like monkeys and snakes, allowing the bird to raise its young in relative safety.
Faits amusants
Despite its name, the Black-tailed Flycatcher’s tail is actually more of a dark olive-brown, and the species is famous for its peculiar "wing-snapping" display during courtship, where males produce a loud, mechanical *clack* by rapidly striking their primary feathers together. It also has a bizarre nesting habit: it frequently builds its cup-shaped nest directly inside active wasp nests, using the aggressive insects as living bodyguards to deter predators like monkeys and snakes. Additionally, unlike many flycatchers that hawk insects from exposed perches, this bird often gleans prey by clinging upside-down to the undersides of leaves, a more acrobatic foraging style shared with some tanagers.
Habitats et répartition
The Black-tailed Flycatcher is found in lowland and foothill forests up to around 1,200 meters in elevation, primarily inhabiting the understory and edges of humid tropical rainforests. It shows a strong preference for terra firme forests (those not subject to seasonal flooding) and often occurs near streams or swampy areas within these forests. Its geographical range extends from eastern Panama through the Pacific lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador, then across the Amazon basin into southern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil, with isolated populations also present in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil.
Comportements & Reproduction
The Black-tailed Flycatcher is generally solitary or found in pairs during the breeding season, with no complex social structure observed outside of parental care. Mating appears to be monogamous for the season, with males establishing small territories and using short, sharp vocalizations to attract females, though elaborate courtship displays are not well documented. The species builds a distinctive, enclosed, hanging pouch nest with a side entrance, often suspended from a branch over water or a steep slope, which may serve as a unique reproductive strategy to reduce predation. The female typically lays two eggs and handles most of the incubation, while both parents feed the nestlings until fledging, with no evidence of cooperative breeding or brood parasitism.
Alimentation
The Black-tailed Flycatcher is an insectivorous bird, with a diet consisting almost exclusively of small arthropods, primarily flies, beetles, moths, and caterpillars, which it captures in mid-air using agile, sallying flights from a perch. An interesting fact about its feeding strategy is that it often follows army ant swarms through the understory, taking advantage of the insects and other invertebrates flushed out by the ants’ advance. Additionally, it occasionally engages in “leaf-gleaning,” snatching prey directly off foliage, though aerial hawking remains its dominant method. This species has also been observed consuming small spiders and, rarely, tiny berries, but animal matter constitutes the vast majority of its intake year-round.
Couleurs
The Black-tailed Flycatcher displays olive-green upperparts, a pale yellow belly, and a distinctive black tail. It has a concealed yellow crown patch, often hidden, and a whitish throat with subtle dusky streaks on the chest. Its coloration provides camouflage in dappled forest light, with the bright yellow belly and crown serving as disruptive markings against the dark understory.
Distribution Map
Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.
