Tropical royal flycatcher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tropical royal flycatcher |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Onychorhynchus
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| Species: |
coronatus
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| Range of O. c. coronatus and O. c. castelnaui (see the Taxonomy and Distribution sections) | |
The tropical royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus) is a type of passerine bird, which means it's a perching bird. Scientists at the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) place it in the Tityridae family. You can find this bird in Mexico, through most of Central America, and in many South American countries. It lives in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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Understanding the Tropical Royal Flycatcher
How Scientists Name and Group Birds
The tropical royal flycatcher was first officially described in 1776. A German zoologist named Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller gave it the scientific name Muscicapa coronata. The word coronatus comes from Latin and means "crowned," which makes sense because of its special crest. Today, this bird is grouped with the Atlantic royal flycatcher in a genus called Onychorhynchus.
For many years, some scientists thought there were four different types of royal flycatchers. But in 2024, the IOC decided to combine three of them into one species: the tropical royal flycatcher. The Atlantic royal flycatcher (O. swainsoni) is still considered a separate species.
Other groups of scientists have different ideas about how to classify these birds. For example, BirdLife International still treats the four types as separate species. The Clements taxonomy used to see them as one species, but in 2023, they also split the Atlantic royal flycatcher off. So, Clements now agrees with the IOC that there are two main species. However, Clements places these birds in a different family called Oxyruncidae, not Tityridae.
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) also has its own way of classifying them. They recognize just one royal flycatcher species, similar to how Clements used to. But they place it in the family Onychorhynchidae. It shows that scientists are always studying and sometimes change their minds as they learn more!
Different Types of Tropical Royal Flycatchers
The IOC and Clements recognize five different subspecies, or types, of the tropical royal flycatcher:
- O. c. castelnaui
- O. c. coronatus
- O. c. mexicanus
- O. c. fraterculus
- O. c. occidentalis
Sometimes, O. c. mexicanus and O. c. occidentalis have been thought of as separate species.
What Does the Tropical Royal Flycatcher Look Like?
This bird is about 12.5 to 18 cm (4.9 to 7.1 in) long. That's roughly the size of a small ruler. It weighs between 9.7 to 21 g (0.34 to 0.74 oz), which is about as light as a few coins.
Its Amazing Crest
The most striking feature of the tropical royal flycatcher is its fan-shaped crest. This crest can stand up, like a fan opening! In male birds of the O. c. coronatus subspecies, the crest is red with blue tips. In females, it's yellow or orange.
Feather Colors and Markings
Aside from the crest, males and females look very similar. Adults have a light, broken ring around their eyes and a faint light streak on their cheeks. Their upper body feathers are dark brown. They have narrow black and light bars on their lower back.
Their rump (the area above the tail) and tail feathers are a reddish-brown color, getting browner towards the end of the tail. Their wings are dark brown. They have small light spots on the tips of some wing feathers.
Their throat is whitish, and their chest is a warm light brown with narrow black bars. Their belly is a plain warm light brown. Their eyes can be various shades of brown. The upper part of their beak is dark brown to black, and the lower part is horn-colored, yellowish, or orange. Their legs and feet are dull yellow or orangish.
Differences Among Subspecies
- O. c. castelnaui looks a lot like the main type, but it's a bit smaller and has less barring on its back.
- O. c. mexicanus is the largest subspecies. Its upper body isn't as dark, and its tail is more reddish-brown. Its chin and throat are white, and its chest has fewer bars.
- O. c. fraterculus is slightly smaller than mexicanus. It has a lighter reddish-brown rump and tail, and even less barring on its chest.
- O. c. occidentalis is about the same size as fraterculus. It's mostly a bright light brown. Its tail is a pale yellowish-brown, and its chest has no markings. The male's crest is more red than the orange found in the main type, and it has black tips.
Where Do Tropical Royal Flycatchers Live?
Their Homes Across the Americas
The different types of tropical royal flycatchers live in specific areas:
- O. c. castelnaui: Lives east of the Andes mountains in western Amazonia. This includes southeastern Colombia, Venezuela's Amazonas state, and south through Ecuador into Peru and northern Bolivia. It also lives east in Brazil to the Rio Negro and Rio Tapajós rivers.
- O. c. coronatus: Found in southern and eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and in Brazil east of the Rio Negro and Rio Tapajós rivers.
- O. c. mexicanus: Lives from southeastern Mexico down to Panama.
- O. c. fraterculus: Found in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
- O. c. occidentalis: Lives in western Ecuador, from Esmeraldas Province to El Oro Province, and a little bit into Peru's Tumbes Department.
Their Preferred Habitat
The tropical royal flycatcher likes to live in humid lowland areas. This includes both old, untouched evergreen forests and forests that are growing back after being cut down. It usually stays in the lower and middle parts of the forest, often near streams and in forests that flood seasonally.
You can find them from sea level up to about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) high in most of Central America and Colombia. In Costa Rica, they stay at lower elevations. In Brazil, they live below 1,000 m (3,300 ft). In eastern Ecuador, they are found below 400 m (1,300 ft), and in western Ecuador, below 600 m (2,000 ft).
Tropical Royal Flycatcher Behavior
Movement and Migration
Most tropical royal flycatchers seem to stay in the same area all year long. However, some have been seen moving seasonally in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and in southwestern Ecuador.
What They Eat and How They Hunt
The tropical royal flycatcher is an insectivorous bird, meaning it eats insects. Most subspecies hunt low in the forest, usually up to about 3 m (10 ft) above the ground. But O. c. occidentalis will often feed higher, up to 15 m (50 ft).
These birds usually hunt alone or sometimes in pairs. They might also join mixed-species feeding flocks, which are groups of different bird species hunting together. They typically fly out from a perch to catch insects in mid-air or pick them off leaves and branches. Then, they return to their perch to eat their meal.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Scientists haven't fully figured out the tropical royal flycatcher's breeding season yet. Their nests are long and narrow. They hang from a branch or vine, often over water. A female bird usually lays two eggs. Only the female sits on the eggs to keep them warm (incubates them). She also takes care of and feeds the baby birds once they hatch.
Their Calls and Songs
The tropical royal flycatcher is usually quiet and hard to spot. Their songs are different depending on the subspecies.
- The O. c. coronatus and O. c. castelnaui sing "a series of long melodious whistles." It starts with a loud, flat note, then a series of lower-pitched, two-syllable whistles like wheeee-pihuuw-pihuuuw-pihuuw.
- The O. c. mexicanus in Mexico sings "a descending, slowing series of plaintive whistles, usually 5‒8, whi' peeu peeu peeu peeu peeu ..., or wh' wheeu wheeu ..." Further south, its song is "a series of rather sharp downslurred whistles preceded by a short introductory note, whit..eeeuw...eeeuw...eeeuw."
- The song of O. c. occidentalis has not been recorded or described very often.
Their calls include "a loud, mellow, hollow-sounding keeeyup or keee-yew." They also make "a low-pitched sur-líp" and "a squeaky to hollow, plaintive whee-uk or see-yuk."
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) assesses the different royal flycatcher types separately.
- The northern royal flycatcher is listed as of Least Concern. This means it's not currently at high risk. It lives in a very large area, but its population size isn't known and is thought to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been found.
- The Amazonian royal flycatcher is also of Least Concern. It has a very large range and an estimated population of at least 500,000 adult birds. This population is also believed to be decreasing, but no immediate threats have been identified.
- The Pacific royal flycatcher is assessed as Vulnerable. This means it's at a higher risk. It lives in a limited area, and its estimated population of between 2,500 and 10,000 adult birds is believed to be decreasing. The main threat to this bird is forests being cleared for homes, farms, and ranches.
Overall, the tropical royal flycatcher is not very common. The O. c. occidentalis subspecies is considered scarce to rare.
Images for kids
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A tropical royal flycatcher with its crest down.
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A view of the tropical royal flycatcher from above.
