Streaked flycatcher

Myiodynastes maculatus

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
streaked flycatcher (en); bem-te-vi-rajado (pt); tyran audacieux (fr); bienteveo rayado (es); südlicher fleckenmaskentyrann (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Tyrannidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Mexico down to central Argentina, only east of the Andes.

Size:
These birds are 20,5-23 cm long and weigh 37-50 g.

Habitat:
The streaked flycatcher is found in moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, swamp forests, mangroves, savannas and second growths, from sea level up to an altitude of 3.000 m.

Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, taking grasshoppers, bugs, caterpillars, beetles, cicadas, wasps, flying ants, but also eat small lizards, berries and fruits.

Breeding:
Streaked flycatchers breed in March-January. The nest is a rounded structure made of dry leaves and flowers, grasses and twigs, which can be placed in natural tree hollows, old woodpecker cavities, at the base of leaf stems of palms, in masses of bromeliads growing on tree trunks or under the eaves of roofs of houses. There the female lays 2-3 white or creamy-white eggs with reddish-brown or lilac spots. The female incubates the eggs alone for 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-21 days after hatching, only becoming fully independent 1-2 weeks later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 5-50 million individuals. This species tolerates some forest degradation and its population is suspected to be stable.