The vermilion flycatcher is a small passerine bird found throughout South America and southern North America. It is a striking exception among the generally drab Tyrannidae due to its bright red coloration. The species was first described in the late 1830s as a result of the voyages of Charles Darwin. Populations have declined because of habitat loss, though the species remains abundant.
About Vermilion flycatcher in brief
The vermilion flycatcher is a small passerine bird found throughout South America and southern North America. It is a striking exception among the generally drab Tyrannidae due to its bright red coloration. The species was first described in the late 1830s as a result of the voyages of Charles Darwin. Populations have declined because of habitat loss, though the species remains abundant. The overall population numbers in the millions, thus the International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers it a species of least concern. There are nine widely recognized subspecies, which differ primarily in the color and saturation of the male’s plumage and the amount of streaking of the female’s. The geographic boundaries between some subspecies are not well defined: The vermilions are a small bird, measuring 8–14cm from tip to tail, around 7 to 7.5 inches in length, and weighing about 0.5 to 0.6 pounds. The ver Milion flyCatcher evolved around 1 years ago on the Galápagos Islands, having split off from the South American subspecies by 0.56 mya, and the North American by 0 25mya. The male’s song is a pit pit pit pidddrrrreeedrr, which is variable and important in establishing a territory. The males have bright red crowns, chests, and underparts, with brownish wings and tails, while the females lack the vivid red color and can be hard to identify—they may be confused for the Say’s phoebe.
As aerial insectivores, they catch their prey while flying. Their several months-long molt begins in summer. Despite being socially monogamous, vermilION flycatchers will engage in extra-pair copulation. They also practice within-species brood parasitism, whereby females lay their eggs in the nest of another individual. Two broods of two or three eggs are laid in a season lasting from March through June. Once hatched, both males and females feed the chicks, which are ready to fledge after 15 days. The common name comes from its vibrant coloration and its membership in the fly catcher family, reflected in its insect-rich diet. The taxonomy of the genus Pyrocephalus was revised in 2016, which led to the identification of several new species, including the now-extinct San Cristóbal flycather. The genus name PyrocephalUS is Greek and roughly translates to \”fire head\” or \”flame headed\”. : 326 The specific epithet obscurus is Latin and means “dark” or “dusky” : 278. A 2016 molecular study changed the taxonomy and re-designated the original bird as Pyrocephalus obscurus. Some works still refer to the ver milion flycatscher as Pyrocereus rubinus, which can lead to confusion with the scarlet flycatsher. The species is likely 15 million species.
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This page is based on the article Vermilion flycatcher published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 10, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
