Xenotriccus mexicanus
The Pileated Flycatcher (Xenotriccus mexicanus) is a captivating, medium-sized tyrant flycatcher endemic to Mexico, known for its distinctive and often erect rufous crest. Measuring approximately 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 inches) in length and weighing around 15-20 grams, this species exhibits a grayish-olive back and crown, contrasting with a prominent white eye-ring and two pale wing-bars. Its underparts are whitish to pale grayish, sometimes with a faint yellowish wash on the flanks. Both sexes sh...
This species primarily inhabits dry deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forests, thorn scrub, and forest edges, typically at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,800 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on various flying insects caught in aerial sallies, supplemented occasionally with small fruits.
Pileated Flycatchers are diurnal, generally active during the day, perching quietly and observing their surroundings. They primarily forage by sallying, launching from an exposed perch to snatch flying insects in mid-air, though they may occasionally glean prey from foliage. While typically obser...
The Pileated Flycatcher is endemic to Mexico, primarily distributed along the Pacific slope from the state of Jalisco southeastward through Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. Its range extends inland into the dry Balsas River basin. A separate, disjunct population also exists in the highlands of Ch...
Least Concern
- The 'pileated' in its name refers to its prominent, bushy crest, derived from the Latin 'pileus' for cap or skullcap. - Despite its name, it is not closely related to the much larger Pileated Woodpecker; both share the 'pileated' descriptor due to a crest. - It is one of only two species in the...