The fulvous-breasted flatbill is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Andean foothills and slopes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Prefers humid subtropical to tropical montane forests, often at forest edges, along streams, and in shaded secondary growth. Commonly uses the midstory and understory, where it perches quietly in vine tangles and dense foliage. It can persist in semi-disturbed habitats, including forest borders and shaded coffee plantations, provided sufficient canopy cover remains.
Altitude Range
500–2200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A quietly unobtrusive tyrant flycatcher, the fulvous-breasted flatbill is best detected by its soft whistles rather than by movement. Its notably broad, flat-topped bill helps it glean insects from leaves and make short sallies in the forest midstory. It often joins mixed-species flocks in humid montane forests. Despite a wide Andean range, it can be locally scarce where forest is fragmented.
Temperament
quiet and inconspicuous
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief sallies
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs within territories, frequently associating with mixed-species flocks while foraging. Nests are well concealed in dense foliage, with both parents participating in care. Breeding is timed to local wet seasons in much of its range.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives soft, whistled notes and thin peeps, often a gentle two- to three-note phrase repeated at intervals. Also emits dry ticks and brief trills when agitated or within mixed flocks.
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts with a warmer olive head and two pale yellowish wingbars; underparts yellowish with a rich fulvous to tawny breast grading to paler belly. Feathers appear soft and slightly fluffy on the breast, giving a rounded look. The bill is broad and flat-topped with a darker upper mandible and paler lower mandible.
Diet
Primarily captures small arthropods such as flies, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders. Forages by gleaning from leaves and twigs and by making short sally-gleans from low to mid-level perches. Occasionally takes small berries, especially when insect prey is less abundant.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the understory and midstory of humid montane forest, along edges, and in semi-open tangles. Frequently works along riparian corridors and vine-choked gaps where insects concentrate.
