Rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher
The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher was originally described in 1868 as Euscarthmus latirostris. It was later moved to genus Todirostrum. Following a 1988 publication, taxonomic systems moved latirostris and several other species from Todirostrum to genus Poecilotriccus. By the early twenty-first century genus Poecilotriccus had species called both "tody-tyrant" and "tody-flycatcher" so taxonomic systems began renaming the "tyrants" to "flycatcher". The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher shares genus Poecilotriccus with 11 other species. It and the smoky-fronted tody-flycatcher form a superspecies.The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher has these seven subspecies:
- P. l. mituensis
- P. l. caniceps
- P. l. latirostris
- P. l. mixtus
- P. l. ochropterus
- P. l. austroriparius
- ''P. l. senectus''
Description
The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher is long and weighs about. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. l. latirostris have a brownish gray crown. Their forecrown and face are rusty-buff that is brightest on the lores and around the eyes. Their back, rump, and uppertail coverts are olive. Their wings are dusky with narrow yellowish edges on the flight feathers and ochraceous tips on the coverts; the latter show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky. Their throat and underparts are grayish white with a faint olive tinge on the breast and flanks.The other subspecies of the rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher differ from the nominate and each other thus:
- P. l. caniceps: darker and browner forehead and loral and eye areas than nominate, with dark grayish olive crown, a darker green back, a darker olive wash on the breast and sides, and a yellow wash on the belly
- P. l. mituensis: similar to caniceps but smaller with a darker grayer crown and darker face and back
- P. l. ochropterus: brownish crown, paler and buffier face and paler underparts with minimum olive than nominate, golden tinge on back
- P. l. mixtus: intermediate between caniceps and ochropterus
- P. l. senectus: brownish crown; duller upperparts than most and darkest, grayest breast, and whitest throat and belly of all subspecies
- P. l. austroriparius: similar to senectus with darker upperparts and buffy rather than yellowish edges on some flight feathers.
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies of the rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher are found thus:- P. l. mituensis: vicinity of Mitú, Vaupés Department in southeastern Colombia
- P. l. caniceps: from southern Colombian departments of Putumayo, Caquetá, and Amazonas east to central Amazonas state in Brazil and south through eastern Ecuador and most of eastern Peru
- P. l. latirostris: western Amazonian Brazil from the upper Juruá and Purus rivers east to the area of Parintins in far eastern Amazonas
- P. l. mixtus: from northern Puno Department in southeastern Peru south and east into Bolivia's La Paz, Beni, and Cochabamba departments
- P. l. ochropterus: southern Brazil from Mato Grosso and Tocantins south to Mato Grosso do Sul and northwestern São Paulo states
- P. l. austroriparius: Brazil, on the right bank of the lower Tapajos River in western Pará
- P. l. senectus: Brazil north of the Amazon from northeastern Amazonas east to northwestern Pará
The rusty-fronted tody-flycatcher inhabits low, dense, vegetation along river edges, in secondary forest, and in gallery forest. It also occurs in shrubby clearings within forest and on river islands. In elevation it reaches in Brazil, in Colombia, in Ecuador, and in Peru.