Birds Guide

Myiozetetes is a small genus of passerine birds in the tyrant flycatcher family. The four species occur in tropical Central and South America. They are.

• Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Myiozetetes cayanensis
  Grey-capped Flycatcher, Myiozetetes granadensis
  Social Flycatcher, Myiozetetes similis
  Dusky-chested Flycatcher, Myiozetetes luteiventris

They breed in cultivation, pasture, and open woodland with some trees, building a large roofed nest from stems and in a bush, tree or on a building. The nest is often constructed near a wasp, bee or ant nest, or the nest of another tyrant flycatcher,. The nest site is often near or over water. The typical clutch is two to four brown or lilac-blotched cream or white eggs, laid between February and June.

The adult Myiozetetes flycatchers are r16-18 cm long and weighs 24-30 g. The upperparts are olive-brown, and the wings and tail are brown with only faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow and the throat is white. Young birds lack the red-orange crown stripe of the adult, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The best distinction between the species is the head pattern. Social Flycatcher has strong black-and white head markings, whereas Grey-capped Flycatcher has a grey head with a short weak eyestripe

Myiozetetes flycatchers sally out from an open perch in a tree to catch insects in flight. They sometimes hover to take small berries.

References

• Hilty, Birds of Venezuela ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
• Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-0814-9600-4