Ochthoeca oenanthoides
The D'Orbigny's Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca oenanthoides) is a small, sprightly passerine of the Tyrannidae family, characteristic of high-Andean landscapes. Measuring approximately 12-14 cm (4.7-5.5 inches) in length and weighing around 12-16 grams, its plumage is a blend of brownish-grey to olive-brown on the upperparts, contrasting with a whitish throat and breast that transitions to a pale yellowish-buff or cinnamon belly and undertail coverts. A key identification feature is its prominent, br...
Primarily found in high-altitude montane scrub, Polylepis woodlands, and shrubby areas along forest edges, often near rocky outcrops or streams, at elevations typically between 2,000 and 4,500 meters in the Andes.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on various small flying insects such as flies, beetles, and wasps, captured mainly through aerial sallies or by gleaning.
D'Orbigny's Chat-Tyrant is a diurnal and highly active insectivore, often seen perching conspicuously on shrubs, rocks, or wires. Its primary foraging strategy involves sallying forth from a perch to snatch insects in mid-air, a classic flycatching technique. It also frequently gleans prey from f...
The D'Orbigny's Chat-Tyrant boasts a wide, though disjunct, distribution throughout the Andes Mountains of South America, generally occurring at elevations between 2,000 and 4,500 meters. The nominate subspecies, *O. o. oenanthoides*, is found from southern Peru south through Bolivia to northern ...
Least Concern
- D'Orbigny's Chat-Tyrant is named after Alcide d'Orbigny, a French naturalist who explored South America in the early 19th century. - Despite its common name, it's not a true chat (Old World family Muscicapidae) but a member of the diverse Tyrannidae (tyrant flycatchers) family, endemic to the A...