<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='360620'>Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant
Open Bird Bucket List ↗
En bref
- Scientific Name: Pogonotriccus difficilis
- Spanish Name: Tirano-pico de cerdas de la Serra do Mar
- Famille : Tyrannidae
- Known Nicknames: Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant
- Longueur moyenne : 11–12 cm / 4,3–4,7 pouces
- Average Weight: 8–10 g / 0.28–0.35 oz
- Envergure : N/A
- Key Feature: Prominent bristles around the bill base and a pale yellow belly with olive upperparts
- Régime alimentaire principal : Insectivore
- Range: Southeastern Brazil (Serra do Mar range, from Espírito Santo to Santa Catarina)
- Habitat: Montane Atlantic Forest understory and bamboo thickets
- Structure sociale : Solitaires ou en couples
- Nesting/Breeding: Small cup nest in a tree fork or bamboo
- Statut de conservation : Quasi menacé (NT)
- Évolution démographique : En baisse
The Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant (*Pogonotriccus difficilis*) is a small, elusive songbird endemic to the understory of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, particularly the Serra do Mar mountain range. Its general appearance is a study in subtle camouflage: an olive-green back, pale yellow belly, and a distinct white or buffy eye-ring set against a grayish face. Its most unique characteristic is the namesake "bristle" – stiff, whisker-like feathers at the base of its bill, which aid in catching insects mid-flight. A special feature is its piercing, high-pitched call, often heard before the bird is seen, as it flits through dense, shadowy foliage. This tyrant-flycatcher is notoriously difficult to spot, living up to its species name *difficilis*, and its restricted habitat makes it a prized sighting for birdwatchers exploring the montane forests of southeastern Brazil.
Faits amusants
This tiny, hyperactive bird has a peculiar habit of sallying out from its perch to snatch prey, then returning to a slightly different spot each time, a behavior that makes it frustratingly tricky for ornithologists to track. Its most distinctive adaptation is a stiff, bristle-like fringe of feathers around its beak, which acts like a net to help it scoop up insects and spiders on the wing. Remarkably, the Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant is an altitudinal migrant, moving downslope from its high-elevation breeding grounds in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to lower elevations during winter, a journey of just a few hundred meters that few other birds in its family attempt.
Habitats et répartition
The Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. Its habitat is specifically the humid montane and submontane forests of the Serra do Mar mountain range, typically occurring at elevations between 500 and 1,500 meters. It is most often found in the dense, shaded understory of primary forest, particularly along streams and in areas with abundant bamboo and dense vine tangles, and it generally avoids disturbed or secondary growth. Its geographical range is restricted to a narrow band from the state of Rio de Janeiro south through São Paulo, Paraná, and into northern Santa Catarina, making it a highly localized species within this threatened biome.
Comportements & Reproduction
The Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant is a solitary and territorial insectivore, with pairs forming only during the brief breeding season from October to January. Males establish small feeding territories and attract females through repeated, high-pitched whistles delivered from exposed perches in the dense understory. Courtship involves the male performing a fluttering, moth-like display flight while fanning his tail and crest, after which the female selects a nest site. The species employs a unique reproductive strategy by constructing an enclosed, pear-shaped nest with a side entrance, woven from moss and spiderwebs, often suspended from a thin fork in a bamboo or shrub. The female alone incubates two white eggs for approximately 17 days, but both parents feed the nestlings, which fledge after 15–18 days. No cooperative breeding or extra-pair copulations have been observed, reinforcing a monogamous, resource-guarding social system.
Alimentation
The Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant is an insectivorous bird, with its diet consisting almost entirely of small arthropods. It actively forages in the understory of montane forests, often as part of mixed-species flocks, where it gleans prey from the undersides of leaves and branches. A fascinating aspect of its feeding behavior is its use of a unique "flutter-glean" technique, where it hovers briefly to snatch insects from foliage, a method that allows it to access prey on delicate leaves that cannot support its weight. Its diet includes a high proportion of caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, and it is known to specialize in capturing prey that is relatively large compared to its own body size, such as robust orthopterans.
Couleurs
The Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant is primarily olive-green above with a grayish crown and a distinct pale yellow supercilium. Its throat is whitish, contrasting with a yellow belly and undertail coverts. The wings are dark with two bold yellowish wingbars, and the face has subtle dark markings around the eye. It lacks bright or contrasting patterns, relying on its muted green and yellow tones for camouflage in the dappled light of its montane forest habitat.
Distribution Map
Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.
Use the map filter to show only featured places.
Featured places
