The yellow-throated spadebill is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid foothill and lower montane forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It favors dense, shaded understory with vine tangles, heliconias, and bamboo (often Chusquea). Frequently found along ravines, stream edges, and in mature second-growth where canopy cover remains high. It is generally local but can be fairly common where suitable habitat persists.
Altitude Range
300–1600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The yellow-throated spadebill is a tiny tyrant flycatcher named for its unusually broad, spade-shaped bill that helps it snatch insects from foliage. It frequents the dim understory of humid foothill and montane forests, often near bamboo thickets and along streams. Typically shy and hard to spot, it reveals itself with thin, high-pitched calls and brief sallying flights from low perches.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats in brief sallies
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs in the forest understory, and frequently joins mixed-species flocks moving through dense foliage. Nests are small cups placed low to mid-level in dense vegetation or suspended from forks, often near streams. Both parents are believed to participate in care, as is typical for many tyrant flycatchers.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched whistles and short tsee-notes, often repeated at intervals from a concealed perch. Vocalizations are subtle and can be easily overlooked amid forest background noise.
Plumage
Olive-brown upperparts with a distinctly bright yellow throat and yellowish underparts that become paler toward the belly. The head is dusky-olive with a subtle pale eye ring and faint facial markings. Wings are dusky with narrow buffy edging, and the tail is short. The bill is broad and flattened at the tip, giving a spade-like appearance.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small arthropods such as flies, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders. Forages by sally-gleaning from low perches, snatching prey from leaf surfaces and suspended dead leaves. It also makes short aerial sallies to catch flying insects and occasionally probes clusters of dead leaves where insects hide.
Preferred Environment
Foraging occurs within the lower understory and mid-understory of humid forests, especially in dense thickets and bamboo patches. It keeps close to shaded edges of streams and gullies where insect activity is high. Often follows mixed flocks to capitalize on flushed prey.
