Myiotheretes fumigatus
The Smoky Bush Tyrant (Myiotheretes fumigatus) is a striking passerine bird of the Tyrannidae family, inhabiting the high Andes of South America. Averaging 20-22 cm (8-9 inches) in length and weighing around 40-50 grams, this medium-sized flycatcher boasts a predominantly sooty brownish-gray plumage, which gives it its 'smoky' epithet. Its dark head and breast contrast elegantly with a warm rufous-cinnamon belly and vent, and a crucial identification mark is the flash of rufous in its wings, ...
Found primarily in humid montane evergreen forests, cloud forest edges, clearings, and shrubby pastures in the Andes, typically at elevations between 1,500 and 3,300 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of flying insects like flies, beetles, and wasps, caught during aerial sallies; occasionally consumes small fruits.
The Smoky Bush Tyrant is a diurnal and highly active insectivore, often observed perched conspicuously on exposed branches, dead snags, or power lines, maintaining its characteristic upright stance. Its primary foraging strategy involves aerial hawking: it makes swift, agile sallies from its perc...
The Smoky Bush Tyrant is resident across a relatively restricted range within the humid upper temperate and subtropical slopes of the Andes in South America. Its distribution spans from southern Colombia (specifically in Nariño south to Cauca), through the eastern and western Andes of Ecuador, an...
Least Concern
- The 'Tyrant' in its name reflects its bold, aggressive foraging style and territorial behavior, typical of many New World flycatchers. - Despite its overall dusky appearance, the rufous flash in its wings is a surprisingly vibrant and diagnostic field mark, especially when in flight. - It belon...