Tolmomyias assimilis
The Yellow-margined Flatbill, *Tolmomyias assimilis*, is a diminutive yet striking Neotropical tyrant flycatcher, measuring approximately 12-14 cm (4.7-5.5 in) in length and weighing around 12-16 grams. Its most distinctive feature is its broad, flattened bill, well-suited for insect capture, complemented by olive-green upperparts and bright yellow underparts, including a pale throat and often a faint whitish eye-ring. The species earns its common name from the conspicuous yellow edgings on i...
Found primarily in humid tropical lowland evergreen forests, this species also inhabits forest edges, clearings with scattered trees, and mature secondary growth, typically at elevations below 1000 meters.
Predominantly insectivorous, its diet consists mainly of small insects and spiders, captured through active sallying from perches, gleaning from foliage, and short hovering flights.
The Yellow-margined Flatbill is a diurnal and active insectivore, typically foraging singly or in pairs, but frequently joining mixed-species flocks to exploit foraging opportunities. It employs a diverse range of foraging strategies, including sallying short distances from a perch to snatch inse...
The Yellow-margined Flatbill boasts an extensive and continuous breeding range across the Neotropics, being a year-round resident throughout its distribution. It extends from southern Mexico (specifically Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas) through all of Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, ...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-margined Flatbill's most distinctive feature is its broad, flattened bill, giving it an almost 'duck-billed' appearance among flycatchers. - They exhibit a remarkable nesting strategy, often building their pendulous, bag-like nests very close to active wasp or arboreal ant nests, pre...