Mitrephanes phaeocercus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Tyranni
Infraordo: Tyrannides
Parvordo: Tyrannida

Familia: Tyrannidae
Genus: Mitrephanes
Species: Mitrephanes phaeocercus
Subspecies: M. p. aurantiiventris – M. p. berlepschi – M. p. phaeocercus – M. p. tenuirostris

Dubious taxa or synonyms: M. p. burleighi – M. p. nicaraguae
included in nominate phaeocercus; M. p. vividus
included in aurantiiventris; M. p. eminulus
included in berlepschi.

Name

Mitrephanes phaeocercus (P.L. Sclater, 1859)

Type locality: Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico.

Synonymy

Mitrephorus phaeocercus (protonym)

References

Sclater, P.L. 1859. Descriptions of New Species of the American family Tyrannidae. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt. 27(1): 40–46. BHL Reference page. p. 44

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Gelbbauch-Schnäppertyrann
English: Northern Tufted Flycatcher
español: Mosquero moñudo común
français: Moucherolle huppé
italiano: Pigliamosche dal ciuffo
Nederlands: Geelbuiktiran

The northern tufted flycatcher or simply tufted flycatcher (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in highlands from northwestern Mexico to northwestern Ecuador. The olive flycatcher (Mitrephanes olivaceus) of Peru and Bolivia is now considered a separate species.

It is a common inhabitant of mature mountain forest and tall second growth, especially at edges and clearings with trees. It breeds from 700–3000 m altitude, but is most abundant from 1200–2150 m. The female builds a saucer nest of moss, liverworts and lichens 4–27 m high on a branch or vine, usually concealed among ferns, bromeliads and other epiphytes. The female incubates the two brown-blotched white eggs for 15–16 days to hatching,

The northern tufted flycatcher is 12 cm long and weighs 8.5 g. The upperparts are olive-green, including the pointed crest. The tail and wings are blackish, and the latter have two buff wing bars and buff edging to the secondary feathers. The breast is ochre-orange, shading to bright yellow on the belly. Sexes are similar, but young birds have brownish upperparts with buff fringing, orange wing bars and paler underparts.

The northern tufted flycatcher is usually seen in pairs, hunting flying insects from an open perch like a pewee. It often returns to the same perch and vibrates its tail as it lands.

This species has a rapid weet weet weet weet call. Its dawn song is a very fast high bip-bip-bip-dididiup-bip-bip-bibibiseer.

Although this species is not migratory, it is very rare vagrant to the United States, the first record being from Big Bend National Park, Texas in November 1991. It has also been observed in Arizona.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Mitrephanes phaeocercus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22699779A93747450. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22699779A93747450.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica, ISBN 0-8014-9600-4