Myiodynastes bairdii
Baird's Flycatcher (Myiodynastes bairdii) is a striking medium-sized tyrant flycatcher, endemic to the arid and semi-arid regions of western South America. Measuring approximately 20-22 cm (8-8.5 inches) in length and weighing around 35-49 grams, this robust bird is characterized by its heavily streaked underparts, a bright yellow belly, and an olive-brown back. Key identification marks include a prominent white supercilium contrasting with a dark eye-stripe and dark ear coverts, a stout blac...
Found primarily in dry to semi-humid woodlands, open forests, gallery forests, riparian zones, and cultivated areas with scattered trees, typically from sea level up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) in elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of large flying insects; also supplements its diet with small fruits and berries.
Baird's Flycatcher is a diurnal and highly active species, often perching conspicuously on exposed branches or power lines. Its primary foraging strategy is 'sally-gleaning' or 'sally-striking,' where it darts out from a perch to catch insects in mid-air or glean them from foliage, returning to t...
Baird's Flycatcher is endemic to the Pacific slope of western South America, primarily distributed from southwestern Ecuador south through much of coastal and western Peru. Its breeding range covers the dry deciduous and semi-deciduous woodlands, scrublands, and riparian corridors of this region....
Least Concern
- Baird's Flycatcher is named in honor of Spencer F. Baird, a prominent 19th-century American ornithologist and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. - Despite its relatively restricted range, it shows remarkable adaptability, thriving in human-modified landscapes such as agricultural fields ...