Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus

Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus magister. Photograph taken within a residential community in Alamos, Sonora, April 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus magister.  Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, May 2013. Photograph and identification courtesy of Karen LeMay, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

The Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus magister, is one of seven subspecies of Brown-crested Flycatcher, two of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Tyrannidae Family of Tyrant Flycatchers, which has four hundred twenty-five global members placed in one hundred and one genera, and one of twenty-two global species of the Myiarchus Genus. They are known in Mexico as copetón tiranillo.

The Brown-crested Flycatcher is relatively large in stature. Their underparts are a drab brownish gray to olive gray, their face and side of their neck is gray, their throat and breast is pale gray that abruptly transitions to a yellow belly and undertail-coverts. Their wings are dark gray brown with two pale bars, pale-edged secondaries and rufous-edged primaries. Their tail is dark gray-brown with rufous tinges. Their bill, legs and feed are black. Their iris is brown. They have large heads which have a short bushy crest and a long, thick, wide bill with a slight hook, and a long body. The sexes are similar with the females being slightly smaller than the males.

The Brown-crested Flycatcher is found within forest edges and lowland riparian, thorn, second-growth, and columnar-cactus woodlands. The populations from Northern Mexico are migratory wintering in Southern Mexico and Central America; the populations from Southern Mexico are non-migratory. They are found at elevations up to 2,000 m (6,600 feet). They forage primarily on arthropods found in the foliage with their diets supplemented with small vertebrates and fruits. They are generally shy and reside within the canopy, and are relatively secretive. They nest in large trees and cacti in woodpecker holes or natural cavities where they become vocally conspicuous. They have life spans of ten years. The Brown-crested Flycatcher has been poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.

The Brown-crested Flycatcher is a permanent resident of Mexico being found in coastal regions within both the Atlantic and Pacific Slopes. The magister, the largest of the subspecies, is found in Western Mexico from within the Pacific Slope of Chihuahua, Durango, Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sonora, Sinaloa and Zacatecas.

From a conservation perspective the Brown-crested Flycatcher is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable widely distributed populations. However, their native habitat of lowland riparian areas has suffered massive destruction and alternations from flood control and water diversion efforts, clearing for agriculture and human housing developments are of concern. The California Department of Fish and Game currently lists the Brown-crested Flycatcher to be of Special Concern.