Sublegatus modestus
The Southern Scrub Flycatcher, *Sublegatus modestus*, is a small, rather nondescript passerine belonging to the Tyrannidae family, a group of diverse tyrant flycatchers. Measuring approximately 12-14 cm in length and weighing 10-15 grams, it presents a challenge for identification due to its subtle appearance: olive-gray upperparts, a pale, often yellowish-tinged belly, and two faint whitish to buff wing bars. A pale eye-ring may or may not be prominent, and its short, slender bill is a key f...
Found in dry scrubland, open woodlands, Chaco forest edges, and semi-arid habitats, often near watercourses, from sea level up to approximately 1500 meters in elevation.
Strictly insectivorous, it primarily consumes small flying insects caught via aerial sallies or gleaned from leaves and branches.
Primarily diurnal, the Southern Scrub Flycatcher forages using typical flycatcher behavior, making short, agile sallies from an exposed perch to snatch flying insects in mid-air or glean them from foliage. Its posture is often upright, giving it a characteristic silhouette. Males establish and de...
The Southern Scrub Flycatcher boasts a broad distribution across central and southern South America. It breeds from central and southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, west through Bolivia to southeastern Peru, and south into Argentina and Chile. Northern populations, particularly those in Peru, ...
Least Concern
- The Southern Scrub Flycatcher belongs to the small genus *Sublegatus*, which contains only three species, all notoriously difficult to distinguish in the field without their characteristic vocalizations. - Its scientific name, *modestus*, aptly describes its subdued coloration and often unassum...