Grey-crowned flatbill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grey-crowned flatbill |
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| in Manaus, Brazil | |
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| Genus: |
Tolmomyias
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| Species: |
poliocephalus
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The grey-crowned flatbill (also called the grey-crowned flycatcher) is a small bird. Its scientific name is Tolmomyias poliocephalus. This bird belongs to the Tyrannidae family, which includes many flycatchers.
You can find this bird in the wet forests of the Amazon and Atlantic Forest in South America. It looks a lot like the yellow-margined flatbill and yellow-olive flatbill. However, you can tell it apart because the bottom part of its beak is dark with a light-colored base. This bird is quite common and lives in a large area. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says it is a "least concern" species. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
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About the Grey-crowned Flatbill
Tolmomyias flatbills are strong, small birds. They have wide beaks that help them catch insects. The grey-crowned flatbill is about 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long.
What Does It Look Like?
This bird is mostly yellowish-green. It has a grey cap (top of its head) and nape (back of its neck). Its throat is yellowish with some grey marks. The eye color is usually pale. The tip of its lower beak is dark.
How to Identify This Bird
Many types of flatbills live in the same areas. They can look very similar, making them hard to tell apart just by looking. The best way to identify them is by their songs.
The grey-crowned flatbill's song is a series of whistles. The sound gets higher in pitch. The last whistle often trembles. It sounds like "tuee? tuee? TUEE? tuEEuEE? tuEEuEE?". The only other similar song comes from the yellow-margined flatbill (Tolmomyias assimilis). However, the yellow-margined flatbill's song sounds a bit rougher.
This species also tends to sit more horizontally than other flatbills. Sometimes, it will even cock (tilt up) its tail.
Where the Grey-crowned Flatbill Lives
The grey-crowned flatbill is originally from the Amazon region of South America.
Geographic Range
Its home includes several countries:
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Peru
- Suriname
- Venezuela
Preferred Habitat
This bird can live up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) high in some places. It usually lives in the middle and upper parts of the rainforest trees. You can also find it at the edges of forests, in river valleys, and in tall areas where forests have grown back.
Nesting Habits
The nest of the grey-crowned flatbill looks like a bag. It has a tube-shaped entrance near the bottom. These nests are often hung close to a wasp nest. This might help protect the bird's eggs and chicks from predators.
Conservation Status
The grey-crowned flatbill lives across a very large area. This includes the Amazon rainforest and the lower slopes on the eastern side of the Andes mountains.
It is considered a fairly common bird. While its numbers might be going down a little, it's not happening fast enough to cause worry. Because of its wide range and stable population, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has given it a "least concern" status. This means it is not currently at risk of extinction.
