Ash-throated Flycatcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | ||||||||||||||
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| Myiarchus cinerascens (Lawrence, 1851) |
The Ash-throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant retreating from most of the U.S. and northern and central Mexico, spending the winter from southern Mexico to Honduras. This bird is also prone to wander, with single birds often seen outside its normal breeding range to the east coast of North America.
The nest is built in a tree cavity or similar natural or man-made hole, and the normal clutch is three or four eggs.
Adult Ash-throated Flycatchers are 19-20cm long and weigh 24-31g. The upperparts are olive brown, with a darker head and short crest. The breast is grey and the belly is a very pale yellow. The brown tail feathers and wings have rufous outer webs, and there are two dull wing bars. The sexes are similar.
The Ash-throated Flycatcher is separated from other confusingly similar Myiarchus species by its call, a burry kabrick in breeding areas or a rough prrt heard year round.
This species is primarily an insectivore which catches its prey by flycatching amongst the undergrowth, but will also take some berries in winter if insects are unavailable.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Myiarchus cinerascens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
The Ash-Throated Flycatcher is an intriguing bird in many ways. A bird of the family Tyrannidea, or Tyrant flycatchers, it hunts insects, lizrds, and even small snakes for food. It hawks it prey, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_%28birds%29) a habit it shares with Kingbirds and other Tyrant flycatchers. Their flight is an easygoing, slightly bobbing, pattern. Its' best identifying marks are the yellow breast and ash-colored throat.
