Lesser Antilles Flycatcher

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Lesser Antilles Flycatcher
Lesser Antillean flycatcher.jpg

Lesser Antilles Flycatcher ( Myiarchus oberi )

Systematics
Subordination : Screeching Birds (Tyranni)
Family : Tyrants (Tyrannidae)
Subfamily : Tyranninae
Tribe : Myiarchini
Genre : Myiarchus
Type : Lesser Antilles Flycatcher
Scientific name
Myiarchus oberi
Lawrence , 1877

The small Antillean Flycatcher ( Myiarchus oberi ) is a Schreivogelart from the family of tyrants (Tyrannidae). It occurs in four subspecies in the Lesser Antilles . The species epithet honors the American naturalist Frederick Albion Ober , who discovered the species.

features

The Little Antilles Flycatcher reaches a size of 19 to 22 cm and a weight of 23.3 to 37 g. In the nominee breed Myiarchus o. Oberi , the upper head and the upper side are dark olive green. The upper tail-coverts have reddish-brown hems. The reins, the ear covers and the face are a little grayer. The wings are brown. The outer hems of the wings are conspicuously reddish brown. The inner hems of the umbrella feathers and the outer hems of the arm wings and the umbrella feathers are a little lighter reddish brown. The large and middle elytra have fuzzy reddish-brown or gray-white tips. The inner flags of the control feathers have broad reddish brown stripes. The throat and chest are gray, with a lighter tint on the throat. The rest of the underside is yellowish. The flanks are washed out greenish and not sharply delineated from the gray chest. The thigh fletching is olive brown. The under wing-coverts are yellow. The iris and legs are dark. The outside of the beak is dark, the interior light yellow. The sexes look the same. The most distinctive is the subspecies M. o. Sclateri . It is smaller than all other breeds, the reddish-brown marking of the tail feathers is missing and the wing bands are less pronounced. M. o. Sanctaeluciae is larger than the nominate form. M. o. Berlepschii is smaller and has a lighter yellow belly than the nominate breed.

Vocalizations

The call consists of a loud, persistent, plaintive whistle and short whistles. The twilight chant is similar to that of the Puerto Rico flycatcher ( Myiarchus antillarum ), but differs in the lower frequencies of the whistled components and the structure of the "wick-up" tones. Some individuals differ only in their vocal characteristics.

Subspecies and their distribution

The following four subspecies are distinguished:

habitat

The Lesser Antilles Flycatcher is a resident bird that mainly inhabits the edges and the canopy of dense woodland, altered thorn scrubland, and forest and tree plantations at altitudes of 100 to 900 m. It is less common in secondary forests or in the scrubland in the lowlands.

Eating behavior

Its diet consists of insects and small fruits. Before catching prey, he waits vertically on a hide and bends his head to peek. It catches the insects mainly in the hover flight , but also in the upward accelerated flapping flight or in the short pick flight.

Reproductive behavior

The breeding season is between May and July. The loose nest is built from plant fibers and feathers in a tree cavity. The clutch consists of three to four eggs.

status

The IUCN classifies the Little Antilles flycatcher as "not endangered" ( least concern ). It is mostly common, but rare in Guadeloupe. Forest destruction to develop agricultural and touristic areas is widespread in the Lesser Antilles, but the situation is less serious on the mountainous islands, where there are inaccessible regions. Several reserves exist, but most of them are quite small. Habitat destruction has both natural causes, such as incoming hurricanes, and man-made, such as the removal of vegetation.

literature

  • Del Hoyo, J .; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (Editors) (2004): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails . Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-69-5 : p. 440-441

Web links

Commons : Kleinantillen-Schopftyrann ( Myiarchus oberi )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files