McConnell's flycatcher is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guianan Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland and foothill evergreen forests of the Guianas, southern Venezuela, northern Brazil, and westward into eastern Peru and northern Bolivia. Favors terra firme forest with dense understory, but also uses seasonally flooded edges and foothill forest. Often found along shaded stream courses and in vine tangles. Typically remains within a few meters of the ground, moving quietly through cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1400 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
McConnell's flycatcher is a small, unobtrusive tyrant flycatcher of humid tropical forests, often keeping low in the shaded understory. It frequently takes small fruits as well as insects, and may visit fruiting shrubs alongside manakins and other understory birds. The species was long treated broadly, with some tepui populations now often recognized separately as Sierra de Lema flycatcher. Its wide range across the Guianas and Amazonian edges contributes to its current low conservation concern.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief, low sallies
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs in the understory, sometimes accompanying mixed-species flocks around fruiting plants. Pairs maintain small home ranges and communicate with soft calls. The nest is a mossy, globular structure placed near stream banks or suspended in shaded vegetation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft and simple, consisting of thin whistles and short trills delivered from low perches. Calls include faint tseet notes and dry chips that can be hard to detect against forest background noise.
