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Brown-capped Tyrannulet | Ornithion brunneicapillus
Bruinkapvliegenpikker | Mosquerito coronipardo
The Brown-capped Tyrannulet is a tiny tyrant flycatcher with a short tail, a brown crown, a short white eyebrow and bright yellow underparts. It lives high in the canopy of humid forest and is usually found only by its high whistled series. In the guide area it occurs in Costa Rica and Panama.
Voice
A series of high, clear whistled notes falling in pitch, often repeated from the canopy.
Recording: Juan Freile — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · shortened to the first 60 s, mono · xeno-canto
Identification
8 cm, with a short tail and a short black bill. Crown warm brown, with a short white eyebrow that is most obvious in front of the eye. Back olive-green. Wings dark olive without distinct wing-bars. Underparts bright yellow, washed olive on the breast. Male and female are alike.
Confusion species
Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet Ornithion semiflavum has a slate-grey crown and a longer, more striking white eyebrow. Mistletoe Tyrannulet Zimmerius parvus is larger, with a longer tail, a grey crown, yellow wing edges and greyish-white underparts. Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant Myiornis atricapillus is even smaller, with a black crown and white throat.
Habitat
Canopy and edges of humid lowland and foothill forest, also tall trees in secondary forest and clearings. It gleans insects among foliage high in the trees.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of Mexico and Central America.
Range and movements
In the guide area in Costa Rica, mainly on the Caribbean slope and in the south-west, and in Panama. Outside the guide area in Colombia, western Ecuador and north-western Venezuela.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Regularly heard along Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto) in Panama. A high, descending whistled series from the canopy is the cue to look up; a canopy tower or an elevated trail gives a better view.
Conservation status
Not threatened. Fairly common in humid forest, but seldom noticed because it lives high in the canopy.
Scientific name
Ornithion brunneicapillus | (Lawrence, 1862)
Lawrence described the species in 1862 as Tyrannulus brunneicapillus; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Ornithion was introduced in 1853 by Hartlaub. Ornithion is Greek for 'little bird', diminutive of ornis, ornithos 'bird', after the tiny size. brunneicapillus is Latin, from brunneus 'brown' and capillus 'hair of the head', after the brown crown. The specimen the first description was based on came from Panama (presumably near Lion Hill, former Canal Zone).