Mionectes oleagineus
The Ochre-bellied Flycatcher (Mionectes oleagineus) is a charmingly inconspicuous tyrant flycatcher, famed for its subtle yet distinctive plumage and its quiet demeanor in the Neotropical understory. Measuring 12-13 cm in length and weighing 12-16 grams, its upperparts are a dull olive-green, contrasting gently with its namesake ochre-orange underparts, a yellowish throat, and a dusky olive head, sometimes adorned with a faint pale eye-ring. Its relatively plump body and short tail contribute...
This species favors humid tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, forest edges, and mature secondary growth, typically from sea level up to 1800 meters in elevation, occasionally higher.
Its diet is omnivorous, primarily consisting of small insects such as flies, beetles, and caterpillars, supplemented significantly by small fruits and berries, which it procures through gleaning, hawking, and hovering.
The Ochre-bellied Flycatcher is a diurnal and often secretive bird, typically perching quietly in the dense understory for extended periods, making it easily overlooked despite its abundance. Foraging involves a mix of hawking insects in short, agile sallies, gleaning them from foliage, and impor...
The Ochre-bellied Flycatcher boasts an expansive resident range stretching from southern Mexico, specifically from Veracruz and Oaxaca south through Chiapas, across all of Central America including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Its distribution continues extensiv...
Least Concern
- Despite its common name, the Ochre-bellied Flycatcher consumes a substantial amount of fruit, an unusual dietary preference for a tyrant flycatcher. - Its rather drab olive-green and ochre plumage provides excellent camouflage, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the dense forest understory. -...