Peruvian tyrannulet

Peruvian tyrannulet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Zimmerius
Species:
Z. viridiflavus
Binomial name
Zimmerius viridiflavus
(Tschudi, 1844)
Range

The Peruvian tyrannulet (Zimmerius viridiflavus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in southwestern Ecuador and Peru.

Taxonomy

The Peruvian tyrannulet was formally described in 1844 as Elaenia viridiflava by the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi.[1] The specific epithet combines the Latin viridis meaning "green" with flavus meaning "yellow".[2] Tschudi gave the locality as Peru, but this has been restricted to the Río Tulumayo in the Department of Junín.[3] The Peruvian tyrannulet is now one of 13 species placed in the genus Zimmerius that was introduced in 1977 by the American ornithologist Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr..[4]

Two subspecies are recognised:[4]

The subspecies Z. v. flavidifrons was formerly considered as a subspecies of the golden-faced tyrannulet (Zimmerius chrysops),[5] but based on analyses of genetic, morphological and vocal differences by Frank Rheindt and collaborators, flavidifrons was moved to be a subspecies of the Peruvian tyrannulet.[6][7][8] The subspecies Z. v. flavidifrons has also been treated as a separate species, the Loja tyrannulet.[9]

Description

The Peruvian tyrannulet is about 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 9 to 10 g (0.32 to 0.35 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have pale yellow lores and eye-ring and a dark stripe through the eye on an otherwise buff-washed bright olive face. Their crown is darkish olive to grayish olive and their back and rump are bright olive. Their wings are dark dusky with bright yellow-green edges on the coverts and flight feathers. Their tail is dusky olive. Their throat is pale yellow, their breast and flanks olive-yellow with some olive markings, and their belly bright yellow. They have a gray to medium brown iris with a tan rim, a small, rounded, bill whose maxilla is gray to blackish and mandible medium gray, and dark gray to black legs and feet.[10][11]

Distribution and habitat

The Peruvian tyrannulet is found intermittently on the east side of the central Peruvian Andes in the departments of Huánuco, Junín, and Ayacucho. It primarily inhabits the canopy and edges of humid montane forest and occasionally occurs in secondary forest. In elevation it ranges between 1,000 and 2,500 m (3,300 and 8,200 ft).[10][11]

Behavior

Movement

The Peruvian tyrannulet is a year-round resident throughout its range.[10]

Feeding

The Peruvian tyrannulet feeds on insects; it probably also feeds on small fruits like those of mistletoes (Loranthaceae). It forages singly or in pairs and often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It feeds mostly in the forest canopy, perching horizontally with its tail cocked and actively moving about and gleaning food while perched or with short flights.[10]

Breeding

Nothing is known about the Peruvian tyrannulet's breeding biology.[10]

Vocalization

The Peruvian tyrannulet's dawn song is "a rising, musical, chiming series tew-tew-tee" and its call "a 1-4 note upslurred hooooeet? or huhu-hu eeet?".[11]

Status

The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy so its assessment of the Peruvian tyrannulet includes the Loja tyrannulet.[12] The Peruvian tyrannulet occurs in at least one protected area in Huánuco.[10]

References

  1. ^ Tschudi, Johann Jakob von (1844). "Avium conspectus quae in Republica Peruana reperiuntur et pleraeque observatae vel collectae sunt in itinere". Archiv für Naturgeschichte (in Latin). 10: 262-317 [274-275].
  2. ^ Jobling, James A. "viridiflavus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  3. ^ Traylor, Melvin A. Jr, ed. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 12.
  4. ^ a b AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  5. ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
  6. ^ Rheindt, F.E.; Norman, J.A.; Christidis, L. (2008). "DNA evidence shows vocalizations to be better indicator of taxonomic limits than plumage patterns in Zimmerius tyrant-flycatchers". Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics. 48 (1): 150–156. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.04.016.
  7. ^ Rheindt, F.E.; Fujita, M.K.; Wilton, P.R.; Edwards, S.V. (2014). "Introgression and phenotypic assimilation in Zimmerius flycatchers (Tyrannidae): Population genetic and phylogenetic inferences from genome-wide SNPs". Systematic Biology. 63 (2): 134–152. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syt070.
  8. ^ Schulenberg, Tom (January 2018). "Proposal 766: Clarify the taxonomic position of Zimmerius "chrysops" flavidifrons". South American Classification Committee, American Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Fitzpatrick, J. W. and D. A. Christie (2020). Peruvian Tyrannulet (Zimmerius viridiflavus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pertyr1.01 retrieved November 13, 2024
  11. ^ a b c Schulenberg, T.S.; Stotz, D.F.; Lane, D.F.; O'Neill, J.P.; Parker, T.A. III (2010). Birds of Peru. Princeton Field Guides (revised and updated ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-691-13023-1.
  12. ^ BirdLife International (2024). "Peruvian Tyrannulet Zimmerius viridiflavus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024 e.T22699156A264357859. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
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