Olive-sided flycatcher

The olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is a passerine bird. It is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher.

Olive-sided flycatcher
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Contopus
Species:
C. cooperi
Binomial name
Contopus cooperi
(Swainson, 1832)

Description

The olive-sided flycatcher is a stocky bird with long wings. The bird has gray brown top feathers, dark gray sides, and a white chest. Olive tones may be visible in optimal lighting and fresh plumage.

Measurements:[2]

  • Length: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
  • Weight: 1.0-1.4 oz (28-40.4 g)
  • Wingspan: 12.4-13.6 in (31.5-34.5 cm)

Behavior

Feeding

They wait on a perch at the top of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight.

Breeding

The female usually lays three eggs in a shallow open cup nest on a horizontal tree branch. The male defends a large area around the nesting territory. Both parents feed the young birds.

Migration

Of all the flycatcher species that breed in the United States, the olive-sided flycatcher has the longest migration. Some olive-sided flycatchers migrate up to 7,000 miles traveling between central Alaska and Bolivia.[2]

Flight peculiarities

The flight of this bird is peculiar. It makes a kind of vertical free fall after climbing into the air ending in singing with the head lifted up (see impression on pictures)

Contopus cooperi Costa Rica (Volcan Barva)
Contopus cooperi flight end

Status and conservation

The numbers of this bird are declining, probably due to loss of habitat in its winter range.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Contopus cooperi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Olive-sided Flycatcher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-27.

Further reading
  • Willis, E.O.; Snow, D.W.; Stotz, D.F. & Parker III, T.A. (1993) Olive-sided Flycatchers in Southeastern Brazil Wilson Bulletin 105(1):
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.