Atlantic royal flycatcher

The Atlantic royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus swainsoni) is a passerine bird in the family Tityridae according to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). It is endemic to Brazil.[2]

Atlantic royal flycatcher
At Tapiraí, São Paulo state, Brazil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tityridae
Genus: Onychorhynchus
Species:
O. swainsoni
Binomial name
Onychorhynchus swainsoni
(Pelzeln, 1858)

Taxonomy and systematics

The IOC considers the Atlantic royal flycatcher and three other royal flycatcher taxa to be separate species and places them in the family Tityridae. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC-AOS) and the Clements taxonomy consider the four to be subspecies of the widespread royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus sensu lato). SACC-AOS places O. coronatus in family Onychorhynchidae and includes four other flycatcher species in that family. Clements places it in family Oxyruncidae and includes those four, one other flycatcher, and the sharpbill. IOC considers all of them to be in Tityridae.[2][3][4]

The Atlantic royal flycatcher is monotypic.[2]

Description
Displaying partially opened crest at Tapiraí, São Paulo state, Brazil

The Atlantic royal flycatcher is 16 to 16.5 cm (6.3 to 6.5 in) long. One specimen weighed 23.5 g (0.83 oz). This large-billed flycatcher has a spectacular, but rarely seen, crest. The upper parts are mostly dull brown with a bright cinnamon rump and tail. It has a whitish throat and ochraceous buff underparts. It has an erectile fan-shaped crest that when raised is scarlet, black, and blue in the male and yellow, black, and blue in the female.[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

The Atlantic royal flycatcher is found only in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil, from Bahia State south to northern Santa Catarina State. It inhabits humid lowlands, both primary evergreen and second growth forests. It is a bird of the midstory.[6]

Behavior

Feeding

All of the royal flycatchers are insectivorous.[6]

Breeding

The Atlantic royal flycatcher's nest is long and narrow and is suspended from a branch or vine, usually above water. The clutch is two eggs; only the female incubates them and broods and feeds the nestlings.[6] Breeding appears to be in the austral spring, because nest-building was recorded in October and eggs were laid in November. In another area, a juvenile was seen in January.[5]

Vocalization

The Atlantic royal flycatcher is usually inconspicuous and quiet. Its song is "a descending, slowing series of plaintive whistles" and its call a repeated "keeeyup or keee-yew" .[6]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Atlantic royal flycatcher as being Vulnerable. "The species has recently been discovered at a number of new locations; however, the population is estimated at 600-1,700 mature individuals and declining rapidly."[1]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Atlantic Royal Flycatcher Onychorhynchus swainsoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  2. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 19 January 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 19, 2021
  4. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 15, 2019
  5. "Species Factsheet: Onychorhynchus swainsoni". BirdLife International. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  6. Sample, R., B. Shackelford, and R. Kannan (2020). Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.royfly1.01 retrieved May 8, 2021
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.