Vermilion Flycatcher
| Vermilion Flycatcher | |
|---|---|
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| Male, Jalisco, México | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Pyrocephalus Gould, 1839 |
| Species: | P. rubinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrocephalus rubinus (Boddaert, 1783) |
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The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is a small passerine bird in the Tyrannidae, or tyrant flycatcher family. Most flycatchers are rather drab, but the Vermilion Flycatcher is a striking exception. It is a favourite with birders, but is not generally kept in aviculture, as the males tend to lose their vermilion colouration when in captivity.
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Distribution and habitat [edit]
Vermilion Flycatchers generally prefer somewhat open areas, and are found in trees or shrubs in savannah, scrub, agricultural areas, riparian woodlands, and desert as well, but usually near water. Their range includes almost all of Mexico; it extends north into the southwestern United States, and south to scattered portions of Central America, parts of northwestern and central South America, and on southwards to central Argentina. They are also found in the Galapagos Islands. The form inhabiting the Galapagos (P. r. nanus) is sometimes split as Pyrocephalus nanus, Darwin's Flycatcher or the Galapagos Flycatcher.
Description [edit]
The species grows to about seven inches in length, and is strongly dimorphic; males are bright red, with dark brown plumage. Females have a peach-coloured belly with a dark grey upperside, and are similar to Say's Phoebe.
Behavior [edit]
Feeding [edit]
The flycatchers feed mostly on insects such as flies, grasshoppers and beetles. These are usually taken in mid-air, after a short sally flight from a perch.[2]
Breeding [edit]
They lay 2-3 whitish eggs in a nest made of twigs, stems and roots, and lined with hair. The eggs are incubated for around two weeks by the female and the young are ready to leave the nest 15 days after hatching.
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Pyrocephalus rubinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ de A. Gabriel & Pizo (2005)
References [edit]
- de A. Gabriel, Vagner & Pizo, Marco A. (2005): Foraging behavior of tyrant flycatchers (Aves, Tyrannidae) in Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22(4): 1072–1077. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000400036 PDF fulltext
- Wildlife Fact File (WFF) (1996): Vermilion Flycatcher. Group 2 (Birds).[verification needed] IMP BV/IMP INC.
External links [edit]
- Vermilion Flycatcher videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Vermilion Flycatcher Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Vermilion Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus rubinus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Stamps
- Photo-High Res; Article borderland-tours
- Drawing of Vermilion Flycatcher by ManguSuLover
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pyrocephalus rubinus |
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This article about a tyrant flycatcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Tyrannidae
- Birds of the United States
- Native birds of the Southwestern United States
- Birds of North America
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of Baja Peninsula Mexico
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula region
- Birds of El Salvador
- Birds of South America
- Birds of the Amazon Basin
- Birds of the Cerrado
- Birds of the Pantanal
- Birds of the Netherlands Antilles
- Animals described in 1783
- Tyrant flycatcher stubs
