Pacific royal flycatcher
Male (above) and female (below); illustration by Joseph Smit, 1888
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tityridae
Genus: Onychorhynchus
Species:
O. occidentalis
Binomial name
Onychorhynchus occidentalis
(Sclater, PL, 1860)
Synonyms

Muscivora occidentalis

The Pacific royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus occidentalis) is a species of passerine bird in the family Tityridae according to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). It is found in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru.[2]

Taxonomy and systematics

The IOC considers the Pacific royal flycatcher and three other royal flycatcher taxa to be separate species and places them in the family Tityridae. The North and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) consider the four to be subspecies of the widespread royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus sensu lato). The AOS places O. coronatus in family Onychorhynchidae and includes four other flycatcher species in that family.[3][4]

The Clements taxonomy treats the Pacific royal flycatcher as part of the "tropical royal flycatcher" with the IOC's northern royal flycatcher (O. mexicanus) and Amazonian royal flycatcher (O. coronatus). Clements places the tropical royal flycatcher, the Atlantic royal flycatcher (O. swainsoni), and the sharpbill (O. cristatus) in family Oxyruncidae. IOC considers all of them to be in Tityridae.[5][2]

The Pacific royal flycatcher is monotypic.[2]

Description

The Pacific royal flycatcher is 16.5 cm (6.5 in) long. One female specimen weighed 14.2 g (0.50 oz). The species is bright tawny brown above and yellow-orange below. The rump and tail are buffy cinnamon. The bill is long and broad. It has an erectile fan-shaped crest that is red in the male and yellow in the female.[6]

Distribution and habitat

The Pacific royal flycatcher is found in western Ecuador discontinuously from Esmeraldas Province to El Oro Province and slightly into Peru's Department of Tumbes. It inhabits humid lowlands, both primary evergreen and second growth forests. It is a bird of the midstory, often along streams.[6]

Behavior

Feeding

All of the royal flycatchers are insectivorous.[6]

Breeding

A Pacific royal flycatcher's active nest was found in Ecuador in January. The 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]

Vocalization

The Pacific 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 Pacific royal flycatcher as being Vulnerable. "Rapid rates of deforestation have reduced this species's now small and severely fragmented range and population."[1]

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Onychorhynchus occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22699653A93742094. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22699653A93742094.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2023). "Cotingas, manakins, tityras, becards". IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hern ndez-Ba os, R. A. Jim nez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., and K. Winker. 2023. Check-list of North American Birds (online). American Ornithological Society. https://checklist.americanornithology.org/taxa/
  4. ↑ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 28 September 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved October 20, 2023
  5. ↑ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 28, 2023
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Kirwan, G. M., R. Sample, B. Shackelford, R. Kannan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2023). Tropical Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.royfly1.02 retrieved November 5, 2023
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